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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stock — goods
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stock — shares
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. staff — employees
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. staff — employees
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. ball — a dance

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