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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 · date · court · can · pitcher · jam · straw · trunk

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — a tin
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stock — shares
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. stock — goods

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