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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: pop · date · bowl · safe · coach · stock · season · court

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. court — of law
  4. date — the fruit
  5. season — in sport
  6. pop — music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. court — for sport
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pop — to visit
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. court — of a king
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stock — goods
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pop — soda
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — of the year

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