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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: current · stock · scale · drill · safe · court · game · deal

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. drill — the tool
  7. current — happening now
  8. game — a match
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. court — of law
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. drill — army training
  15. deal — to handle
  16. scale — size or range
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. current — electric
  19. scale — in music
  20. stock — goods
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stock — shares
  23. current — of water
  24. game — wild animals

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