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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — shares
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. content — happy
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. scale — size or range
  16. season — of the year
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. content — the amount
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. scale — in music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. season — in sport

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