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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: hide · stock · scale · court · bass · wake · pit · lean

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bass — low music
  4. court — of a king
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stock — goods
  7. bass — the fish
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. scale — size or range
  12. court — of law
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. court — for sport
  15. stock — shares
  16. wake — a trail
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lean — thin
  24. scale — in music

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