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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. staff — a stick
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. staff — employees
  13. rule — a law
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. court — for sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rule — government
  20. mark — a grade
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fan — a supporter

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