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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. field — for sport
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cap — a lid
  12. field — farmland
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. field — a subject
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cap — of ice

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