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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stock — shares
  5. squash — to crush
  6. field — farmland
  7. drill — a practice
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. object — to protest
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pass — a permit
  12. squash — the sport
  13. object — an aim
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. field — a subject
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. object — a thing
  21. drill — army training
  22. field — for sport
  23. drill — the tool
  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