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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · land · stock · mark · pound · court · arm · tube

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stock — shares
  3. mate — a friend
  4. court — of law
  5. stock — goods
  6. mate — to breed
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mark — a grade
  10. land — ground
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mark — a trace
  14. land — to come down
  15. court — for sport
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. court — of a king
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. land — a country

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