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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pit — a hole
  8. court — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chest — a box
  12. court — of law
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. court — of a king
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stock — goods
  22. chest — of your body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chest — of your body

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