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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. stock — shares
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wound — an injury
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. stock — goods
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stock — a soup base

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