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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. court — of a king
  3. stock — shares
  4. race — humankind
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. court — for sport
  11. chair — a leader
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. stock — goods
  23. pass — a permit
  24. court — of law

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