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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 120 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stock — goods
  3. court — for sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. march — the month
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. march — music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. march — the month
  13. row — to paddle
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. court — of a king
  18. row — a line
  19. bound — tied together
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. file — a line of people
  23. court — of law
  24. row — a quarrel

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