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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. row — a line
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. saw — the tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. row — to paddle
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stock — shares
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bat — the animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. saw — the tool

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