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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. court — for sport
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stock — shares
  5. rock — music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. court — of law
  14. stock — goods
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bound — certain
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bound — obliged
  24. court — of a king

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