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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. charge — in control
  6. board — a committee
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. face — to point toward
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. face — part of the head
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. charge — electricity
  21. board — to get on
  22. charge — a price
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. face — to confront

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