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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. court — of law
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stock — goods
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. court — of a king
  7. rule — government
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. drill — a practice
  14. court — for sport
  15. rule — a law
  16. stock — shares
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. drill — army training
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pitch — a sports field

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