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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. court — of a king
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bank — of a river
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. kick — in football
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bank — for money
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — in sport
  23. stock — goods
  24. season — of the year

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