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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. staff — employees
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bass — the fish
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stock — goods
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bass — low music
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. staff — employees
  23. pound — a weight
  24. court — of a king

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