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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lean — thin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lie — to recline
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. content — happy
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stock — goods
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. content — the amount
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stock — shares
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. content — videos and posts

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