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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. spring — the season
  4. mark — a grade
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mark — a trace
  7. file — a line of people
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. stock — shares
  11. land — a country
  12. ground — crushed
  13. suit — to fit
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — a coil
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. land — ground
  18. stock — goods
  19. spring — of water
  20. file — a document
  21. ground — a position
  22. land — to come down
  23. ground — the earth
  24. suit — clothes

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