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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stock — goods
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. court — for sport
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. court — of law
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pop — soda
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. court — of a king
  21. pop — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pass — to spend time

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