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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: track · court · stock · sharp · stick · fall · straw · land

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fall — the season
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. land — to come down
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. land — a country
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a path
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. land — ground
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. court — of law
  24. stock — shares

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