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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: roll · trunk · wave · content · stock · pit · foot · hand

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pit — in a race
  14. foot — a measure
  15. content — happy
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. roll — a list
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. roll — a cake

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