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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cell — in biology
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — letters
  7. stock — shares
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stock — goods
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. court — of law
  19. rule — government
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. spell — magic
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. object — to protest

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