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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 116 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bear — the animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stock — goods
  6. pass — a permit
  7. squash — the sport
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. stock — shares

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