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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stock — shares
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. field — a subject
  12. band — a ring
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stock — goods
  15. field — for sport
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rock — a stone
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. band — a music group
  24. field — farmland

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