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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stock — goods
  3. rock — music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. drill — army training
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cap — of ice
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. drill — the tool
  17. swing — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. drill — a practice
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. stock — shares
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. swing — in golf

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