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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. stock — shares
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — to rob
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wind — moving air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. root — the cause
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. root — of a word
  13. mug — a face
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stock — goods
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ball — a great time
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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