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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: stock · spell · row · content · cabinet · game · wind · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. spell — letters
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. spell — a short time
  9. content — happy
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. content — the amount
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stock — shares
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spell — magic
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. stock — goods
  24. row — a quarrel

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