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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stock — goods
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stock — shares
  6. court — of law
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. chip — for betting
  11. court — for sport
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rule — government
  22. rock — music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. hand — help

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