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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. drill — the tool
  12. court — of a king
  13. track — a song
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mug — a face
  17. stock — goods
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bear — the animal
  20. track — a path
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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