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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. row — a line
  7. court — for sport
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tube — a container
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cap — of ice
  13. game — a match
  14. court — of a king
  15. stock — shares
  16. rule — government
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rule — a law
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cap — a lid

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