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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · pit · toast · stock · pitcher · game · rule · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. game — a match
  3. rule — government
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stock — goods
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. toast — bread
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — shares
  22. rule — a law
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rule — to rule out

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