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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fine — all right
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. court — of a king
  8. club — a group
  9. can — a tin
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pit — in a race
  12. march — music
  13. can — a tin
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. court — of law
  17. club — for golf
  18. march — the month
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pop — music
  22. fine — high quality
  23. march — the month
  24. court — for sport

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