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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. firm — decided
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. date — the fruit
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. court — of law
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — of a king
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. land — a country
  21. firm — a company
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stock — shares
  24. court — for sport

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