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

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. stock — shares
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stock — goods
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mug — a face
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cap — a lid
  13. court — of law
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. snap — to click
  18. court — of a king
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mine — for digging
  24. nail — on a finger

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