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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. content — the amount
  3. stock — shares
  4. court — for sport
  5. bound — tied together
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mate — a partner
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mate — a friend
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. content — happy
  14. bound — certain
  15. march — the month
  16. plane — a tool
  17. court — of a king
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. court — of law
  24. stock — a soup base

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