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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: pit · bat · jam · trunk · season · stock · firm · calf

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. stock — shares
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bat — the animal
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. firm — a company
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. firm — steady
  15. season — of the year
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stock — goods
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. firm — decided
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. jam — a tight spot

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