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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stock — goods
  5. present — the time now
  6. tube — a container
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. swing — in golf
  11. present — there
  12. court — for sport
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stock — shares
  17. present — a gift
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. kid — child
  21. saw — the tool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. court — of law
  24. swing — music

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