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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. track — a path
  3. clip — a video
  4. stock — shares
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — goods
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. court — of law
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. court — of a king
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. prune — to trim

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