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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rule — a law
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. stock — goods
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. land — ground
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rule — government
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stock — shares
  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