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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stand — to bear
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. spring — of water
  8. fall — to drop
  9. court — of law
  10. spring — the season
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stock — shares
  13. spring — a coil
  14. court — of a king
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fall — the season
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pop — soda
  23. stock — goods
  24. temple — side of the head

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