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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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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: bass · date · tube · kick · court · calf · stock · ground

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. stock — shares
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — the earth
  7. court — for sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tube — a container
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. court — of a king
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — a position
  18. date — the fruit
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bass — low music
  21. court — of law
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bass — the instrument

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