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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stock — goods
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. clip — to cut
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. land — ground
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. land — to come down
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. pitch — completely
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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