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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. land — to come down
  6. ground — crushed
  7. swing — music
  8. land — a country
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stock — goods
  11. ground — the earth
  12. kick — in football
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. swing — in golf
  16. ground — a position
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. land — ground
  24. swing — to play on

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