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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stock — goods
  3. face — to confront
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. root — the cause
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ball — a great time
  19. clip — a video
  20. rash — a series
  21. stock — shares
  22. clip — for paper
  23. face — to point toward
  24. calf — a young animal

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