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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. shower — rain
  4. band — a ring
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — goods
  13. court — for sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. court — of a king
  19. band — a music group
  20. stock — shares
  21. cell — a phone
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ball — a round shape

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