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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. firm — a company
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. game — a match
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — for digging
  8. firm — steady
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. last — finally
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — for sport
  20. stock — shares
  21. last — final
  22. mug — a face
  23. firm — decided
  24. last — to go on

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