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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 124 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pit — a hole
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. last — final
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of a king
  10. rule — a law
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. rule — government
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. last — to go on
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — finally
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. court — for sport
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. court — of law

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