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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. stock — goods
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. land — a country
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. court — for sport
  11. land — ground
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — of a king
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. court — of law
  24. stock — shares

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