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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stock — shares
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. face — to confront
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. net — after costs
  15. stock — goods
  16. net — in sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. net — for catching
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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