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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stock — shares
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. court — of a king
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. degree — an amount
  9. scale — size or range
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. court — of law
  12. land — ground
  13. stock — goods
  14. scale — in music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. degree — temperature
  20. land — a country
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. court — for sport
  24. can — a tin

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