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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: bark · fall · stock · key · bowl · court · bound · march

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. march — music
  3. court — of law
  4. stock — goods
  5. court — for sport
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. court — of a king
  10. fall — the season
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — certain
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stock — shares
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. key — for a lock
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fall — to drop

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