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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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. fall — the season
  4. court — of law
  5. rest — a break
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. track — to keep track
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. track — a song
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. court — for sport
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. track — a path
  24. foot — a measure

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