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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. press — newspapers
  12. net — after costs
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. net — for catching
  15. press — to push
  16. foot — a measure
  17. press — a publisher
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. net — in sport
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stock — shares

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