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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. suit — to fit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stock — shares
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — an illness
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. branch — a division
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. suit — in cards
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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