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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. stock — shares
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. capital — a city
  10. wind — moving air
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. stock — goods
  22. capital — money
  23. mine — for digging
  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