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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. net — for catching
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. net — after costs
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pop — soda
  16. court — of a king
  17. race — a contest
  18. pop — music
  19. stock — goods
  20. court — of law
  21. race — humankind
  22. stock — shares
  23. pop — to visit
  24. net — in sport

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