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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stock — goods
  3. pass — a permit
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. court — of a king
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ball — a dance
  9. spell — magic
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. court — for sport
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. court — of law
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stock — shares
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spell — letters
  22. ball — a great time
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pass — to succeed

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