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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. court — for sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — for catching
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. wake — a trail
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. net — after costs
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. court — of a king
  17. net — in sport
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. court — of law
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. ball — a round shape

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