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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. march — the month
  5. stock — goods
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rock — a stone
  8. root — the cause
  9. stock — shares
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. season — in sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. root — of a word
  14. season — of the year
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. row — a line
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rock — music
  21. march — the month
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com