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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. degree — from a university
  5. can — to be able to
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stock — goods
  8. present — a gift
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pound — a weight
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. stock — shares
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. row — a line
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. present — there
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — to paddle
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. present — the time now

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