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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — shares
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. last — to go on
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. last — finally
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stock — goods
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. last — final

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