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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 water is too ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. stock — goods
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cold — an illness
  9. scale — in music
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. game — a match
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. safe — a strongbox

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