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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 116 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: rule · trunk · mouse · swing · net · march · stock · mate

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mate — a partner
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rule — a law
  6. mate — a friend
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — goods
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rule — government
  16. march — music
  17. stock — shares
  18. net — in sport
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. march — the month
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. march — the month

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