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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. current — electric
  5. club — for golf
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. current — happening now
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. club — for dancing
  13. current — of water
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bat — the animal
  16. club — a group
  17. face — to confront
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. face — part of the head
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stock — shares
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. face — to point toward

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