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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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. court — of law
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stock — goods
  7. court — of a king
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. court — for sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — the animal
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. tube — a container
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mark — a trace
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fall — the season
  24. plane — in geometry

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