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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. season — in sport
  5. band — a ring
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. file — a tool
  8. band — a music group
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. file — a document
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a plant
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. root — of a word
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. calf — a young animal

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