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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. last — to go on
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. stock — goods
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mate — a friend
  9. stock — shares
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. last — final
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. foot — a measure
  24. leaves — lets stay

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