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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fine — high quality
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. court — of a king
  5. last — final
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fine — all right
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. object — a thing
  12. court — for sport
  13. object — an aim
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. last — to go on
  16. court — of law
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. last — finally
  19. object — to protest
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stock — goods
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  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