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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. capital — money
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fine — all right
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stand — to bear
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wound — an injury
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. capital — a city
  18. stock — goods
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — a position
  23. fine — high quality
  24. date — the fruit

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