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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. court — of law
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. game — a match
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — part of the head
  17. file — a document
  18. face — to confront
  19. game — wild animals
  20. press — to push
  21. stock — goods
  22. file — a line of people
  23. face — to point toward
  24. game — a kind of play

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