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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cue — a signal
  5. land — to come down
  6. bound — certain
  7. object — to protest
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. land — a country
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. object — an aim
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cue — a hint
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — goods

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