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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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. last — final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. chair — a leader
  9. last — finally
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. last — to go on
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. present — the time now
  24. rash — a series

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