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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stock — shares
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. current — electric
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stock — goods
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pitch — completely
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — of water
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mate — a friend
  24. current — happening now

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