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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. mate — a partner
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stock — shares
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — goods
  11. fine — all right
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. spring — the season
  15. tube — a container
  16. fine — high quality
  17. spring — of water
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. calf — a young animal
  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