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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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. march — music
  3. firm — steady
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. firm — decided
  9. stock — goods
  10. march — the month
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rock — music
  13. firm — a company
  14. wind — moving air
  15. march — the month
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rock — a stone
  19. chest — a box
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. chest — of your body
  24. calf — a young animal

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