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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. court — of a king
  6. fine — high quality
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stock — goods
  9. file — a line of people
  10. roll — a cake
  11. court — for sport
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lie — to recline
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. stock — shares
  17. fine — all right
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. court — of law
  20. roll — a list
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. file — a tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. file — a document

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