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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stock — shares
  3. land — to come down
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rest — a break
  6. land — ground
  7. roll — a list
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — goods
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fall — the season
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — a company
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rest — what's left
  21. firm — steady
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. land — a country

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