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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. stock — goods
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. present — a gift
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. present — there
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. present — the time now
  17. rest — a break
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. club — for dancing
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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