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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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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: suit · arm · court · last · stock · foot · prune · scale

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. court — of law
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. prune — to trim
  5. foot — a measure
  6. suit — in cards
  7. stock — shares
  8. court — of a king
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. last — final
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. suit — to fit
  14. court — for sport
  15. scale — size or range
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. last — finally
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. suit — clothes
  23. last — to go on
  24. scale — in music

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