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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — goods
  4. rash — a series
  5. land — to come down
  6. court — of law
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. staff — employees
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. perch — the fish
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stock — shares
  16. rash — hasty
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. staff — employees
  24. mouse — the animal

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