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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. race — the arms race
  3. object — a thing
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. content — happy
  8. object — to protest
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stock — shares
  12. race — a contest
  13. object — an aim
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. race — humankind
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stock — goods
  22. fine — all right
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. fine — a penalty

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