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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stock — shares
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. court — for sport
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. suit — to fit
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stock — goods
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. mug — a face
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mug — to rob
  20. suit — in cards
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mug — a cup
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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