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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. court — for sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. court — of a king
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spring — the season
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spring — of water
  12. object — to protest
  13. court — of law
  14. stock — shares
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stock — goods
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. spring — a coil
  22. snap — to click
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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