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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stock — shares
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. lean — thin
  6. kid — to tease
  7. court — of law
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stock — goods
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. last — final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. kid — child
  23. last — finally
  24. stock — a soup base

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