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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. stock — shares
  5. saw — the tool
  6. court — of law
  7. cell — a phone
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rule — a law
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. court — of a king
  20. stock — goods
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rule — government

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