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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stock — goods
  3. net — for catching
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. track — a song
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. net — in sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. track — a path
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — a tin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. snap — to click
  21. can — a tin
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. net — after costs
  24. track — to keep track

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