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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stock — goods
  3. chest — of your body
  4. drill — army training
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mine — for digging
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mark — a grade
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pop — soda
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chest — a box
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pop — music
  23. stock — shares
  24. pop — to visit

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