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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. file — a document
  3. pound — a weight
  4. toast — bread
  5. court — of law
  6. last — final
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. court — of a king
  13. stock — goods
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stock — shares
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. file — a tool
  18. last — finally
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. last — to go on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. court — for sport

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