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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stock — goods
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rash — hasty
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. stock — shares
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bulb — for light
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cap — a lid

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