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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — a container
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. court — of a king
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. court — of law
  9. press — to push
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. court — for sport
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. staff — employees
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stock — shares
  23. press — newspapers
  24. staff — a stick

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