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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. face — to confront
  11. stock — goods
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — the animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. face — to point toward
  17. object — an aim
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stock — shares
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. object — to protest
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bat — for baseball

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