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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: press · can · stock · court · rest · cell · ball · land

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. land — a country
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stock — goods
  6. can — a tin
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rest — a break
  12. cell — in biology
  13. can — a tin
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — of a king
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — of law
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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