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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stock — shares
  3. can — to be able to
  4. field — for sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — a subject
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. field — farmland
  20. can — a tin
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pitcher — in 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