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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 120 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. firm — a company
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. court — of law
  5. pop — music
  6. court — of a king
  7. stock — goods
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. craft — boats
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. saw — the tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. firm — decided
  16. stock — shares
  17. firm — steady
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. craft — a skill
  24. racket — for tennis

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