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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stock · press · kick · spell · tear · court

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — goods
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stock — shares
  8. spell — magic
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. press — a publisher
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. court — for sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. tear — to rip
  16. press — to push
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spell — letters

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