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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. chip — to eat
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — goods
  10. court — for sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rest — a break
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chip — for betting
  17. track — a path
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cell — in biology
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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