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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stock — shares
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bore — to tire
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. land — a country
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. land — ground
  14. club — for golf
  15. bore — to drill
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. club — a group
  18. stock — goods
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. degree — temperature
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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