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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. court — for sport
  4. clip — for paper
  5. court — of law
  6. stock — goods
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. content — the amount
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — a video
  12. stock — shares
  13. kid — to tease
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — happy
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. clip — to cut
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. kid — child
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. court — of a king
  24. racket — for tennis

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