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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lean — to bend
  3. march — music
  4. court — of a king
  5. lean — thin
  6. court — of law
  7. rock — a stone
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stock — goods
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — music
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. court — for sport
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — the month
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — shares
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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