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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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rest — a break
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mate — a friend
  6. court — of law
  7. stock — shares
  8. court — for sport
  9. bound — obliged
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mate — a partner
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pop — music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pop — soda
  17. bound — certain
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stock — goods
  20. bound — tied together
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stock — a soup base

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