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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: court · charge · stock · leaves · clip · vault · press · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. clip — a video
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. charge — a price
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stock — shares
  13. court — of law
  14. vault — a safe
  15. court — of a king
  16. clip — for paper
  17. press — to push
  18. clip — to cut
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. charge — in control
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stock — goods

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