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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cue — a hint
  6. row — to paddle
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stock — goods
  11. degree — temperature
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. file — a line of people
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cue — a signal
  18. stock — shares
  19. spell — magic
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. spell — letters
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cue — for pool

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