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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. land — ground
  4. firm — decided
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stem — to come from
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cue — a hint
  10. firm — a company
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. firm — steady
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. land — a country
  16. cue — a signal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. row — to paddle
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stock — goods
  23. land — to come down
  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