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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · court · clip · coach · stock · key · mark · rule

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. key — in music
  3. rule — a law
  4. clip — a video
  5. key — the most important part
  6. court — for sport
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rule — government
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stock — shares
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. clip — to cut
  16. court — of law
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mark — a grade
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. court — of a king
  24. rule — to rule out

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