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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stock — goods
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. squash — the sport
  6. swing — in golf
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. present — a gift
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. drill — army training
  13. present — the time now
  14. drill — the tool
  15. present — there
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. squash — to crush
  19. swing — music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. swing — to play on

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