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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 · court · bear · sharp · suit · perch · ball · pit

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. court — for sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. court — of law
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ball — a dance
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. suit — clothes
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stock — shares
  19. suit — to fit
  20. stock — goods
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. ball — a round shape

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