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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. land — ground
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. rule — government
  9. land — to come down
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. object — to protest
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stock — goods
  15. rule — a law
  16. bat — the animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bat — for baseball

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