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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · root · temple · pit · calf · clip · stock · mine

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pit — a hole
  14. stock — goods
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. root — of a word
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pitcher — a jug

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