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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: squash · court · present · cell · stock · bulb · deal · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. stock — goods
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stock — shares
  7. bulb — for light
  8. court — of law
  9. cell — in biology
  10. present — a gift
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bulb — for light
  14. court — of a king
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. court — for sport
  19. cell — a phone
  20. present — the time now
  21. deal — to handle
  22. present — there
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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