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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cap — a lid
  3. spell — magic
  4. court — of a king
  5. object — to protest
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — of ice
  8. present — there
  9. stock — goods
  10. object — an aim
  11. present — a gift
  12. court — for sport
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cap — a hat
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. court — of law
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. object — a thing
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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