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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. march — music
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. march — the month
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. last — to go on
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. last — finally
  15. lie — to recline
  16. board — to get on
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. board — a committee

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