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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. stock — shares
  3. court — for sport
  4. roll — a list
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. court — of a king
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stock — goods
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rash — a series
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chest — a box
  20. court — of law
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stock — a soup base

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