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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pound — a weight
  4. row — a line
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. season — of the year
  9. row — to paddle
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — in sport
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. track — a path
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stock — shares
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stock — goods

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