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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rule — government
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. present — the time now
  10. date — the fruit
  11. hand — help
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rest — a break
  16. march — music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stock — goods
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. trunk — of a car

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