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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stock — shares
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wind — moving air
  8. present — there
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pass — a permit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. game — a match
  21. stock — goods
  22. present — a gift
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wind — moving air

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