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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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rock — music
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. field — for sport
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — goods

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