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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — after costs
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stock — goods
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — a song
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rest — what's left
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. net — for catching
  21. rest — a break
  22. track — a path
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. calf — a young animal

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