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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: stock · sharp · court · stem · game · can · chest · pound

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. game — a match
  3. court — for sport
  4. game — wild animals
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stem — to come from
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chest — a box
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. can — a tin
  14. court — of law
  15. stock — shares
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pound — a weight
  22. stock — goods
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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