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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. stock — goods
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. board — a committee
  7. pop — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. board — to get on
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — soda
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stock — shares
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. capital — a city
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pop — to visit
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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