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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · object · stock · race · temple · cabinet · court · present

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. court — for sport
  4. race — a contest
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. court — of law
  7. stock — shares
  8. clip — for paper
  9. present — a gift
  10. object — an aim
  11. race — humankind
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. object — a thing
  15. clip — a video
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. present — there
  19. clip — to cut
  20. court — of a king
  21. present — the time now
  22. stock — goods
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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