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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. spring — the season
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cap — of ice
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cap — a lid
  15. chest — of your body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chest — a box
  18. cap — a hat
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. nail — on a finger

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