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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pitch — completely
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stock — goods
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chair — a leader
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mate — a friend

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