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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — of water
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bat — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. spring — the season
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bat — in an idiom

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