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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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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rock — music
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stock — goods
  9. court — for sport
  10. content — happy
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. court — of a king
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. stock — shares
  21. content — the amount
  22. court — of law
  23. rock — a stone
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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