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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. land — ground
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. row — a line
  9. stock — goods
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. key — the most important part
  12. land — to come down
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stock — shares
  19. key — in music
  20. row — to paddle
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. land — a country

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