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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. tube — the underground
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stand — to bear
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tube — a container
  9. hand — help
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. field — for sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. field — a subject
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. field — farmland
  17. kick — in football
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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