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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 · mark · fine · ruler · clip · drill · fan · stock

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. drill — army training
  3. court — of law
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — a trace
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. mark — a grade
  17. stock — shares
  18. clip — a video
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. court — of a king
  22. clip — to cut
  23. court — for sport
  24. fine — all right

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