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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pop — music
  4. spell — letters
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. court — for sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stand — to bear
  13. court — of law
  14. saw — the tool
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lean — thin
  17. spell — magic
  18. court — of a king
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pop — soda
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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