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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. object — a thing
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. object — to protest
  8. march — the month
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. court — of a king
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stock — shares
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. perch — the fish
  16. march — music
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stock — goods
  20. tube — a container
  21. object — an aim
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. march — the month
  24. lash — an eyelash

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