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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. court — for sport
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. press — to push
  7. fall — to drop
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. court — of law
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — of a king
  14. stock — goods
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fall — the season
  18. craft — a skill
  19. press — newspapers
  20. craft — boats
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stock — shares

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