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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — shares
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chest — a box
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — a hat
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cap — of ice

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