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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. land — ground
  4. degree — from a university
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pit — in a race
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stock — goods
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. stock — shares
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. degree — temperature
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. degree — an amount
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. land — to come down
  24. pit — a hole

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