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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 124 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bulb — for light
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bulb — for light
  11. staff — employees
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. net — after costs
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. staff — employees
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. drill — army training
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. net — for catching
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. net — in sport

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