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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. firm — a company
  9. stock — shares
  10. firm — steady
  11. board — to get on
  12. net — for catching
  13. firm — decided
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. net — in sport
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stock — goods
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stock — a soup base

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