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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. club — a group
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stock — shares
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. firm — decided
  11. court — for sport
  12. club — for golf
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — a series
  16. firm — a company
  17. club — for dancing
  18. rash — hasty
  19. chest — a box
  20. snap — to click
  21. chest — of your body
  22. firm — steady
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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