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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. key — the most important part
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. key — in music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cue — a signal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stock — shares
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. field — farmland

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