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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. game — a match
  3. object — a thing
  4. staff — a stick
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stock — goods
  7. court — of a king
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. court — for sport
  13. game — wild animals
  14. staff — employees
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. court — of law
  17. object — to protest
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. last — to go on
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stock — shares
  23. staff — employees
  24. object — an aim

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