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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chair — a leader
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stock — shares
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stock — goods
  18. bass — low music
  19. club — for golf
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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