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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. last — final
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. last — to go on
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. saw — the tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. season — of the year
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. track — a song
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. last — finally
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cabinet — ministers

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