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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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Word bank
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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: stock · object · straw · trunk · face · track · court · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. court — of law
  3. stock — goods
  4. track — a song
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stock — shares
  9. object — a thing
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. track — to keep track
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. court — of a king
  18. face — to point toward
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. track — a path
  21. object — to protest
  22. court — for sport
  23. object — an aim
  24. stock — a soup base

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