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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · calf · kick · file · pitcher · stock · bay · wake

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chest — a box
  4. file — a document
  5. stock — shares
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stock — goods
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. kick — in football
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — a trail
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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