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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. current — electric
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stock — goods
  8. file — a tool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. march — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. current — happening now
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. current — of water
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. march — the month
  19. stock — shares
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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