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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rest — a break
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. court — of law
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. squash — the sport
  10. key — in music
  11. court — of a king
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rest — what's left
  15. key — the most important part
  16. squash — to crush
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stock — goods
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. court — for sport
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bowl — a dish

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