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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. court — of law
  4. suit — to fit
  5. last — final
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. suit — clothes
  11. court — of a king
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. last — finally
  15. stock — goods
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. court — for sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wound — an injury

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