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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: club · calf · stock · ball · rest · jam · bear · clip

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. club — a group
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. club — for golf
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rest — a break
  12. club — for dancing
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rest — what's left
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stock — goods
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. clip — a video
  24. bear — the animal

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