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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lean — thin
  3. stock — shares
  4. fine — all right
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stock — goods
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wound — an injury
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fine — high quality
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mouse — the animal

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