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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pound — a weight
  7. court — of law
  8. mate — a friend
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. court — for sport
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — to breed
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. court — of a king
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pit — in a race

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