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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 120 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rash — hasty
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lean — thin
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stock — shares
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stock — goods
  24. wind — moving air

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