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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ball — a great time
  4. face — to confront
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stock — shares
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. swing — music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. swing — in golf
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. court — of law
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. lash — an eyelash

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