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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rule — government
  3. court — of a king
  4. stock — goods
  5. court — of law
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. clip — a video
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. court — for sport
  13. rule — a law
  14. clip — to cut
  15. scale — size or range
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. foot — a measure
  18. stock — shares
  19. clip — for paper
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. leaves — of a tree

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