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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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 — shares
  2. court — of a king
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. branch — a division
  5. pop — to visit
  6. court — of law
  7. spring — the season
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bass — low music
  11. foot — a measure
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pop — soda
  17. stock — goods
  18. spring — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pop — music
  23. wind — moving air
  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