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

Word bank: safe · cabinet · court · tear · cap · stock · leaves · chest

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. stock — shares
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chest — a box
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chest — of your body
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of law
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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