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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. game — a match
  4. track — a path
  5. fine — all right
  6. court — of a king
  7. track — a song
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. foot — a measure
  10. game — wild animals
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stock — goods
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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