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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rest — what's left
  5. charge — electricity
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rest — a break
  13. charge — in control
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stock — shares
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. charge — a price
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cold — an illness

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