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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. charge — electricity
  4. race — humankind
  5. bass — low music
  6. current — of water
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. current — electric
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. charge — a price
  14. current — happening now
  15. charge — in control
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. race — a contest
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stock — goods
  23. squash — to crush
  24. race — the arms 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