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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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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. court — of a king
  4. capital — money
  5. bound — certain
  6. rule — government
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stock — goods
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fine — high quality
  13. court — for sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. branch — a division
  16. bound — obliged
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. can — a tin
  19. capital — a city
  20. fine — all right
  21. stock — shares
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. court — of law
  24. stock — a soup base

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