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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 116 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. craft — boats
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. court — of law
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wind — moving air

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