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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. content — happy
  5. charge — a price
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pound — a weight
  9. charge — in control
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stock — goods
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. charge — electricity
  16. court — for sport
  17. march — the month
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — of law
  21. march — music
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stem — of a plant

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