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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: court · field · stock · mug · jam · lash · rule · trunk

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rule — government
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. stock — goods
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mug — a face
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mug — a cup
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. court — of a king
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mug — to rob
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rule — a law
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. field — for sport
  24. stock — shares

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