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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stock — shares
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — certain
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. swing — music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bound — tied together
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. object — a thing
  23. stock — goods
  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