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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stock — shares
  3. spring — the season
  4. ground — a position
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. season — in sport
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. court — for sport
  14. spring — of water
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chair — a leader
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bank — for money
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. court — of law
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. court — of a king

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