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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bear — the animal
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bass — low music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bear — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. clip — a video
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bass — the fish
  23. clip — for paper
  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