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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. season — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. root — of a plant
  10. fork — in a road
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. season — of the year
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. net — for catching
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. stock — goods
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. net — in sport

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