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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. court — for sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rush — hurry
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stock — goods
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. mate — a partner
  16. shower — rain
  17. mate — to breed
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stock — shares
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. tube — a container
  24. ruler — for measuring

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