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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 124 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stock — goods
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bear — the animal
  6. firm — steady
  7. court — of law
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stock — shares
  11. firm — a company
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. spring — of water
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. court — of a king
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bear — the animal
  22. court — for sport
  23. firm — decided
  24. spring — the season

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