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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bound — certain
  4. kick — in football
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — an illness
  8. stock — goods
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mine — for digging
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bank — for money
  24. stock — shares

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