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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. court — of a king
  4. cue — a signal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. land — a country
  7. court — for sport
  8. sharp — clever
  9. root — of a word
  10. land — ground
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — shares
  13. suit — in cards
  14. court — of law
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wound — an injury
  19. suit — clothes
  20. land — to come down
  21. root — the cause
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. root — of a plant

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