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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. court — of a king
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cell — a phone
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. court — for sport
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cell — in biology
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. court — of law
  19. rule — government
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. branch — a division
  24. rule — a law

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