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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. net — after costs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. stock — goods
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. firm — a company
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stock — shares
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. net — for catching
  18. firm — steady
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. firm — decided
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. net — in sport

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