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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stock — goods
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bound — obliged
  9. charge — a price
  10. court — of a king
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bound — certain
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. season — in sport
  16. key — for a lock
  17. season — of the year
  18. key — in music
  19. charge — in control
  20. court — for sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bound — tied together
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stock — shares

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