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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pit — in a race
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stock — goods
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. capital — a city
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pit — a hole
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. capital — money
  24. sharp — exactly

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