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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. dip — to sink
  7. field — a subject
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stock — shares
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. field — farmland
  22. stock — goods
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. dip — a sauce

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