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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stock — goods
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rule — government
  12. mark — a trace
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stock — shares
  16. cell — a phone
  17. track — a path
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rule — a law
  23. track — a song
  24. trunk — of a tree

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