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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fine — all right
  5. stock — goods
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — bread
  8. pop — music
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. squash — the sport
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pop — soda
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stock — shares
  21. pop — to visit
  22. squash — to crush
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fine — a penalty

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