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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. game — a match
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. game — wild animals
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. content — happy
  8. stock — goods
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. present — there
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stock — shares
  13. fine — high quality
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fine — all right
  19. content — the amount
  20. present — the time now
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stock — a soup base
  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