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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stock — shares
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stock — goods
  6. clip — a video
  7. pop — soda
  8. clip — for paper
  9. press — a publisher
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. club — for golf
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. kick — in football
  14. clip — to cut
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. club — a group
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. pop — music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — with your hand

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