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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.

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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — a stick
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. staff — employees
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rule — government
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. race — the arms race
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. race — a contest
  17. rule — a law
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. race — humankind
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stock — a soup base

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