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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  3. bear — the animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. stock — goods
  12. ground — crushed
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cold — an illness
  15. present — there
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ground — a position
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  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