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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. court — for sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. court — of law
  13. cell — a phone
  14. court — of a king
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pop — soda
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cell — in biology
  21. suit — clothes
  22. stock — goods
  23. pop — music
  24. stock — shares

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