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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stock — goods
  7. cue — a signal
  8. court — for sport
  9. hand — help
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cue — for pool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stock — shares
  21. cue — a hint
  22. court — of law
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rash — hasty

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