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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. capital — a city
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. face — to confront
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mug — a cup
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — money
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. face — to point toward
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mug — a face
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. stock — shares
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bay — a horse colour

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