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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. swing — music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. court — for sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. court — of law
  13. mate — a partner
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stock — goods
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spell — magic
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stock — shares
  24. spell — letters

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