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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a face
  9. file — a tool
  10. court — of law
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bore — to drill
  13. stock — shares
  14. bore — to tire
  15. board — a committee
  16. mug — a cup
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. file — a document
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. court — for sport
  23. land — a country
  24. board — to get on

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