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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. charge — a price
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stock — shares
  8. charge — electricity
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stock — goods
  11. chest — a box
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. toast — bread
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chest — of your body
  16. charge — in control
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. date — the fruit

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