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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. suit — to fit
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stock — shares
  9. last — finally
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stock — goods
  14. net — after costs
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. suit — in cards
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mark — a trace
  24. game — a match

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