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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stock — shares
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stock — goods
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. net — for catching
  13. cell — a phone
  14. net — after costs
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — in sport

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