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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pit — a hole
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stock — goods
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stock — shares
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pit — in a race
  24. plane — an aircraft

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