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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stock — shares
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. court — of a king
  7. rest — a break
  8. pit — in a race
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stock — goods
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of law
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rest — what's left
  23. court — for sport
  24. safe — a strongbox

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