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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: nail · bay · fine · kid · foot · court · chip · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. court — of a king
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chip — to eat
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. kid — child
  13. court — of law
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fine — all right
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. court — for sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stock — goods
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. nail — on a finger

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