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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rock — music
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. court — for sport
  14. lie — to recline
  15. net — in sport
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rock — a stone
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. net — for catching
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. net — after costs
  22. stock — shares
  23. court — of law
  24. mine — an explosive

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