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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. suit — clothes
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — hasty
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. suit — in cards
  16. season — in sport
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rash — a series
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stock — goods
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stock — shares
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bat — for baseball

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