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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bound — tied together
  3. content — happy
  4. stock — shares
  5. tube — the underground
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bound — certain
  16. stock — goods
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rule — government
  20. tube — a container
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. content — the amount
  24. rash — a series

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