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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — finally
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stock — shares
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. last — final
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. last — to go on
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. squash — the sport
  17. kick — in football
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. squash — to crush
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — goods
  24. patient — a sick person

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