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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: mine · stock · dip · court · key · bay · game · bound

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. key — for a lock
  4. court — of a king
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bound — certain
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. key — in music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bound — tied together
  13. dip — to sink
  14. game — wild animals
  15. court — of law
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. game — a match
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. court — for sport
  20. stock — shares
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stock — goods
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. key — the most important part

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