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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. present — the time now
  4. court — of law
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. present — a gift
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. court — of a king
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mate — a partner
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mate — a friend
  17. present — there
  18. spell — magic
  19. shower — rain
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spell — a short time
  22. shower — to wash
  23. spell — letters
  24. stand — for spectators

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