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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. court — of law
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. charge — in control
  7. press — to push
  8. stock — goods
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. spring — a coil
  11. kick — in football
  12. row — a line
  13. press — a publisher
  14. spring — of water
  15. court — of a king
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. charge — a price
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fine — high quality
  20. court — for sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. spring — the season
  23. fine — all right
  24. press — newspapers

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