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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mug — to rob
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fine — high quality
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. court — for sport
  12. fine — all right
  13. mug — a face
  14. stock — shares
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. tube — a container
  19. snap — to click
  20. court — of a king
  21. mug — a cup
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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