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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stock — shares
  9. present — the time now
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. swing — to play on
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. foot — a measure
  16. capital — a city
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. present — there
  21. swing — music
  22. present — a gift
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. swing — in golf

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