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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. staff — employees
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. net — for catching
  9. court — of law
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. tube — a container
  12. cap — a hat
  13. court — for sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. stock — shares
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. net — in sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. cap — of ice
  21. staff — employees
  22. roll — a cake
  23. tube — the underground
  24. court — of a king

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