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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · object · mug · trunk · staff · race · stock · pit

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. object — to protest
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pit — a hole
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. race — humankind
  11. staff — employees
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. object — an aim
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stock — shares
  17. pit — in a race
  18. object — a thing
  19. ball — a dance
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mug — a cup
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stock — goods
  24. race — a contest

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