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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stock — goods
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. saw — the tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. stock — shares
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wake — a trail
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. field — for sport
  19. content — happy
  20. swing — to play on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. arm — a part of something

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