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

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stock — shares
  3. court — for sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. can — a tin
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. season — of the year
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. can — to be able to
  21. season — in sport
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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