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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · leaves · court · fall · stock · bay · rock · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. stock — shares
  4. march — music
  5. rock — music
  6. court — of a king
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. saw — the tool
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. march — the month
  16. fall — the season
  17. stock — goods
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. fall — to drop
  20. court — of law
  21. fall — to drop
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stock — a soup base

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