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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. current — of water
  5. bound — obliged
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stock — shares
  9. bound — certain
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bound — tied together
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. net — in sport
  16. stock — goods
  17. net — for catching
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. current — electric
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. current — happening now
  22. game — a match
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. net — after costs

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