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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. craft — boats
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — shares
  9. drill — a practice
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stock — goods
  13. ground — a position
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. ground — crushed
  18. track — a path
  19. drill — army training
  20. track — a song
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. track — to keep track
  24. craft — a skill

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