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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stock — goods
  4. craft — a skill
  5. root — of a word
  6. rush — hurry
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stock — shares
  9. craft — boats
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cold — not warm
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. root — the cause
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. craft — a handicraft

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