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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. drill — a practice
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. kid — child
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stock — goods
  12. net — after costs
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. kid — to tease
  15. court — of a king
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. net — in sport
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stock — shares
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. drill — army training

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