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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lean — to bend
  7. face — to confront
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. club — for golf
  12. net — after costs
  13. capital — a city
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. net — for catching
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. face — to point toward
  18. capital — money
  19. stock — shares
  20. lean — thin
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. face — part of the head

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