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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stock — goods
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spell — magic
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. capital — money
  10. spell — letters
  11. ball — a dance
  12. capital — a city
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stock — shares
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spell — a short time
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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