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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stock — shares
  4. press — to push
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — for digging
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cell — a phone
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. scale — in music
  24. fan — to cool the air

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