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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. pass — a permit
  3. court — of law
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mug — a cup
  10. race — a contest
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mug — a face
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stock — shares
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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