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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 120 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: straw · net · pop · court · craft · stock · season · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. court — of law
  3. craft — boats
  4. court — for sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. season — in sport
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pass — a permit
  10. net — in sport
  11. pop — soda
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stock — goods
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stock — shares
  20. court — of a king
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. season — of the year
  23. pop — music
  24. net — for catching

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