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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. court — of a king
  4. track — to keep track
  5. last — final
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. last — to go on
  8. suit — to fit
  9. last — finally
  10. stock — shares
  11. current — happening now
  12. track — a song
  13. suit — clothes
  14. court — for sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. track — a path
  18. court — of law
  19. bore — to tire
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. bore — to drill
  24. suit — in cards

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