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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 120 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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fine — all right
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. plane — a tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. clip — a video
  11. stock — shares
  12. court — of a king
  13. clip — to cut
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stock — goods
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. fine — high quality
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. staff — employees
  24. racket — a loud noise

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