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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. suit — to fit
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rule — a law
  7. suit — in cards
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stock — goods
  13. rule — government
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cell — a phone
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. suit — clothes

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