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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. court — of a king
  4. charge — a price
  5. pop — music
  6. charge — in control
  7. court — of law
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. stock — goods
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. charge — electricity
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rash — a series
  21. court — for sport
  22. pop — soda
  23. stock — shares
  24. pitch — a sports field

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