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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. wound — an injury
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. present — a gift
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. present — the time now
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fine — high quality
  16. present — there
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. stock — shares
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stock — goods
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fine — all right
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. trunk — of a car

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