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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. chip — for betting
  3. stock — goods
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — final
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. last — to go on
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — the cause
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. root — of a word
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. last — finally
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. root — of a plant
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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