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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. court — of a king
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stock — shares
  7. bound — certain
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. court — of law
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. stock — goods
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bound — tied together
  15. court — for sport
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. kick — in football
  18. row — to paddle

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