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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. court — for sport
  8. squash — the sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. file — a tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — shares
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. file — a document
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. squash — to crush
  23. can — a tin
  24. ruler — a monarch

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