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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. firm — steady
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stock — shares
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. firm — decided
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. scale — in music
  13. spell — letters
  14. firm — a company
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stock — goods
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spell — magic
  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