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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stock — goods
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mate — a friend
  6. toast — bread
  7. kid — child
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mate — to breed
  12. roll — a list
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. kid — to tease
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. roll — a cake
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stock — shares
  21. board — to get on
  22. court — of a king
  23. board — a committee
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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