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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lie — to recline
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. net — after costs
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cap — a lid
  7. sharp — clever
  8. net — in sport
  9. stock — shares
  10. club — for golf
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. stock — goods
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cap — of ice
  20. net — for catching
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stock — a soup base

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