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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 116 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
468
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: pit · can · court · mark · degree · craft · stock · trunk

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. craft — boats
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pit — in a race
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. craft — a skill
  9. degree — temperature
  10. can — a tin
  11. mark — a grade
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. court — of a king
  14. pit — a hole
  15. court — for sport
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. degree — from a university
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. stock — goods
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. court — of law
  24. degree — an amount

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