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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — to go on
  7. pass — a permit
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. game — a match
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. game — wild animals
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. squash — to crush
  21. last — final
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. last — finally
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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