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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fine — all right
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bore — to drill
  10. can — a tin
  11. race — the arms race
  12. season — in sport
  13. fine — high quality
  14. stock — goods
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. race — humankind
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. can — a tin
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stock — shares
  24. race — a contest

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