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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stock — goods
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stock — shares
  13. cue — a signal
  14. capital — money
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. capital — a city
  19. cue — for pool
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cue — a hint
  22. spell — magic
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ground — a position

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