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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. net — after costs
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. net — for catching
  9. ground — the earth
  10. current — electric
  11. ground — a position
  12. current — happening now
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. net — in sport
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spell — letters
  17. stock — shares
  18. shower — rain
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. ground — crushed
  21. shower — to wash
  22. current — of water
  23. key — for a lock
  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