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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stock — goods
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cap — a lid
  5. present — a gift
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. present — there
  9. court — of law
  10. present — the time now
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mark — a trace
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cap — of ice
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. stock — shares
  22. mark — a grade
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — dry grass

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