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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. current — happening now
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. craft — a skill
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stock — goods
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. current — of water
  18. stock — shares
  19. craft — boats
  20. current — electric
  21. season — of the year
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. season — to add flavour

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