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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bank — of a river
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. toast — bread
  13. bank — for money
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — final
  16. court — of law
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. last — to go on
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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