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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.

Make a worksheet

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: court · content · stock · pitch · bulb · hide · chair · safe

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. stock — shares
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. content — the amount
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stock — goods
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitch — completely
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. content — happy
  23. chair — a leader
  24. safe — a strongbox

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