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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. file — a tool
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ground — crushed
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chip — to eat
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cap — a hat
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stock — shares
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. file — a document

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