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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stock — goods
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. land — to come down
  13. squash — the sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stock — shares
  17. toast — bread
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. board — to get on
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bat — the animal
  23. squash — to crush
  24. trunk — of a tree

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