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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. can — a tin
  4. stock — goods
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. staff — employees
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. vault — a safe
  14. perch — the fish
  15. staff — a stick
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. staff — employees
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. can — to be able to

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