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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 116 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. race — the arms race
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. shower — rain
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stand — to bear
  12. race — humankind
  13. stock — goods
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. content — the amount
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stock — shares
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. race — a contest
  24. fork — in a road

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