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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: pass · fall · clip · jam · stock · court · chair · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stock — goods
  3. court — of a king
  4. stock — shares
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fall — the season
  15. court — of law
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. court — for sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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