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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. spell — a short time
  7. firm — a company
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. spell — magic
  11. firm — steady
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. clip — for paper
  16. spell — letters
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. board — a committee
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. firm — decided
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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