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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. can — a tin
  4. march — the month
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. court — for sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. court — of law
  10. mug — to rob
  11. march — the month
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. net — for catching
  15. can — a tin
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. mug — a face
  20. craft — boats
  21. snap — to click
  22. craft — a skill
  23. court — of a king
  24. march — music

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