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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stock — shares
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — goods
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — wild animals
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. march — the month
  15. game — a match
  16. board — a committee
  17. march — music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. tear — to rip
  22. board — to get on
  23. march — the month
  24. calf — a young animal

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