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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kick — in football
  4. root — the cause
  5. file — a document
  6. perch — the fish
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. field — a subject
  13. fork — in a road
  14. file — a tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. field — farmland

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