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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bass — the fish
  9. can — a tin
  10. pit — in a race
  11. court — of law
  12. land — a country
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. land — ground
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. stock — goods
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. land — to come down
  21. bass — low music
  22. cold — not warm
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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