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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stock — shares
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. face — to confront
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. tube — a container
  13. object — an aim
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. race — humankind
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. race — a contest
  18. object — a thing
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tube — the underground
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. leaves — of a tree

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