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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rule — a law
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. present — a gift
  10. stock — goods
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. present — the time now
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. root — of a word
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. game — wild animals
  20. root — the cause
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stock — shares

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