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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — electric
  5. scale — size or range
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stock — goods
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. current — of water
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. scale — in music
  20. current — happening now
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mine — for digging

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