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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mate — to breed
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rock — music
  9. toast — bread
  10. court — of a king
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stock — goods
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. court — of law
  16. stock — shares
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pop — soda
  19. mine — for digging
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pop — music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mate — a partner

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