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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. spell — a short time
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lean — thin
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stock — goods
  10. pit — in a race
  11. object — a thing
  12. court — of law
  13. object — an aim
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. degree — an amount
  18. spell — magic
  19. court — for sport
  20. object — to protest
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. spell — letters
  23. rash — a series
  24. stock — shares

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