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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. firm — steady
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cell — a phone
  6. firm — decided
  7. march — the month
  8. key — the most important part
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pit — a hole
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — in biology
  14. march — music
  15. firm — a company
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. toast — bread
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. key — in music
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  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