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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: court · stock · hand · key · coach · bulb · present · hide

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. court — for sport
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. key — the most important part
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bulb — for light
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. present — the time now
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. court — of law
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. key — in music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. present — there
  20. stock — shares
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. court — of a king
  24. stock — goods

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