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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. key — in music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. court — for sport
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. stock — shares
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wind — moving air
  14. toast — bread
  15. stock — goods
  16. mark — a grade
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. key — for a lock
  19. court — of law
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — a trace
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pound — to hit hard

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