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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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. saw — the tool
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — to trim
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — to handle
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — goods
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. stock — shares

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