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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stock — goods
  3. court — for sport
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stem — to come from
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pass — a permit
  11. court — of law
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stock — shares
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. deal — to handle
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. deal — a big deal

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