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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stock — goods
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stock — shares

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