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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stock — goods
  4. court — for sport
  5. spell — a short time
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. stock — shares
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. staff — employees
  13. court — of law
  14. mate — a partner
  15. staff — employees
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spell — magic
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. saw — the tool
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pit — in a race
  22. spell — letters
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mate — a friend

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