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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stock — goods
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. face — part of the head
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. root — of a plant
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wound — an injury
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. root — of a word
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. scale — in music
  23. stock — shares
  24. root — the cause

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