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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stock — goods
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. date — the fruit
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. board — a committee
  19. hand — help
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. board — to get on
  22. stock — shares
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitch — a sports field

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