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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. suit — in cards
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ground — crushed
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. suit — to fit
  11. capital — money
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. capital — a city
  14. ground — the earth
  15. branch — a division
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stock — goods
  19. mate — to breed
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ground — a position
  24. stock — a soup base

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