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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. season — in sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. bank — for money
  6. season — of the year
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rule — a law
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cold — an illness
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rule — government
  21. chest — a box
  22. stock — goods
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. chest — of your body

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