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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bound — certain
  4. stock — shares
  5. court — of law
  6. object — to protest
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bound — obliged
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pass — a permit
  14. court — of a king
  15. race — a contest
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. object — an aim
  18. track — a song
  19. bound — tied together
  20. object — a thing
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. race — humankind
  24. court — for sport

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