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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stem — to come from
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stock — shares
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stock — goods
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. game — a match
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. can — to be able to
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. can — a tin
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. sharp — exactly

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