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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pit — in a race
  5. court — of law
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ball — a dance
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. object — an aim
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tube — the underground
  14. stock — goods
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. object — a thing
  20. stock — shares
  21. court — for sport
  22. object — to protest
  23. court — of a king
  24. pit — a hole

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