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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stock — goods
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. clip — to cut
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. chip — for betting
  11. stock — shares
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. march — music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. clip — for paper
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. clip — a video
  20. current — of water
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. march — the month
  23. spring — the season
  24. chip — to eat

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