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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. hand — in cards
  3. drill — a practice
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. drill — the tool
  6. hand — help
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. drill — army training
  11. squash — to crush
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. plane — a tool
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rule — government
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — goods

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