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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 116 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. content — happy
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stock — goods
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ball — a great time
  9. season — of the year
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ball — a dance
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mine — for digging
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. firm — a company
  22. content — the amount
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stock — shares

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