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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cold — not warm
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bound — certain
  6. stock — shares
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. shower — rain
  9. cold — an illness
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. shower — to wash
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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