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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. club — for dancing
  6. court — of a king
  7. content — happy
  8. stock — goods
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. club — a group
  11. stock — shares
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. club — for golf
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. fan — a supporter
  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