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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. court — of law
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stock — shares
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mug — to rob
  11. court — for sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mug — a cup
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. court — of a king
  22. mug — a face
  23. stock — goods
  24. wound — an injury

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