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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.

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: calf · cold · prune · game · stock · cap · season · ruler

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. season — of the year
  7. cold — not warm
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cap — a lid
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cap — a hat
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. game — a match
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. cap — of ice

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