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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — shares
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. chip — for betting
  8. stand — to bear
  9. ball — a dance
  10. court — of a king
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. sharp — clever
  13. march — the month
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chip — to eat
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ball — a great time
  23. march — music
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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