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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stock — shares
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. kick — in football
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. stock — goods
  15. pound — a weight
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. nail — on a finger

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