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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. court — of a king
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. season — in sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stock — shares
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — of law
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. tear — from crying
  22. season — of the year
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. perch — the fish

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