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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mark — a grade
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stock — goods
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — music
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — shares
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. march — the month
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bowl — a football final

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