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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. court — for sport
  6. hand — help
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. court — of law
  9. pass — a permit
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. tube — a container
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — a video
  18. court — of a king
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pass — to spend time

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