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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pop — music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. face — to confront
  8. pop — soda
  9. face — to point toward
  10. band — a ring
  11. rule — a law
  12. face — part of the head
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stock — shares
  20. rule — government
  21. band — a music group
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stock — goods
  24. sharp — with an edge

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