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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — an illness
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. present — a gift
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stock — shares
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stock — goods
  12. pound — a weight
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. present — there
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. present — the time now
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cold — not warm
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. sharp — clever

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