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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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. snap — to click
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fork — in a road
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. ball — a dance
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — goods
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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