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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stock — goods
  6. court — of a king
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — the arms race
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bear — the animal
  14. race — a contest
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. race — humankind
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fan — a supporter

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