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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.

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: deal · content · scale · mug · court · pitch · stock · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — for sport
  4. mug — a face
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mug — to rob
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. court — of law
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pitch — completely
  11. content — happy
  12. scale — in music
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. stock — shares
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. court — of a king
  19. content — the amount
  20. scale — size or range
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stock — goods
  24. content — videos and posts

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