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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stock — goods
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — in music
  11. staff — employees
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. drill — army training
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cell — in biology
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — shares
  21. drill — a practice
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. scale — size or range

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