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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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 — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. land — ground
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. present — the time now
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. land — to come down
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. chest — of your body
  16. present — a gift
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. land — a country
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. stock — goods
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. present — there
  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