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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chair — a leader
  10. firm — steady
  11. court — of a king
  12. object — a thing
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stock — shares
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — to protest
  17. mate — a friend
  18. firm — a company
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. firm — decided
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mate — a partner
  23. object — an aim
  24. fan — a supporter

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