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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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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: staff · land · bound · stock · suit · leaves · fine · court

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. land — a country
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. fine — high quality
  12. staff — employees
  13. bound — tied together
  14. staff — employees
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stock — goods
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fine — all right
  22. land — to come down
  23. court — of law
  24. suit — in cards

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