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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · bat · stand · court · stock · fine · plane · mug

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. stock — goods
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fine — all right
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mug — a face
  15. cold — an illness
  16. court — for sport
  17. mug — to rob
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. court — of a king
  21. stock — shares
  22. court — of law
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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