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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 116 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: wound · pit · wave · game · mark · present · stock · court

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stock — shares
  3. court — for sport
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. present — the time now
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. present — a gift
  9. game — wild animals
  10. court — of law
  11. stock — goods
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — of a king
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. game — a match
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pit — a hole

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