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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: rock · bound · court · stock · trunk · stick · game · suit

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — obliged
  5. suit — to fit
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. suit — in cards
  10. rock — music
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. court — of a king
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stock — goods
  15. court — of law
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bound — tied together
  19. game — wild animals
  20. court — for sport
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bound — certain
  24. stock — shares

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