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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. chip — for betting
  6. stock — goods
  7. fall — the season
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. court — of a king
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chip — to eat
  19. court — of law
  20. stock — shares
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. court — for sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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