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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. chair — a leader
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mark — a grade

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