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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. firm — a company
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. roll — a list
  7. tube — a container
  8. stock — shares
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. tear — from crying
  12. firm — decided
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tear — to rip
  15. ball — a dance
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. stock — goods
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rest — a break
  20. court — of law
  21. rest — what's left
  22. roll — a cake
  23. ball — a great time
  24. firm — steady

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