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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chip — to eat
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stock — goods
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cap — a lid
  21. row — a line
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chip — for betting
  24. coach — a trainer

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