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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — goods
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. row — a line
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stock — shares
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. court — for sport
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. season — in sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. court — of law

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