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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pop — music
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. stock — shares
  16. pop — soda
  17. court — of law
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stock — goods
  22. kid — child
  23. rock — music
  24. court — of a king

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