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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 120 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
468
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: season · land · plane · tube · key · club · stock · court

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stock — goods
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. tube — a container
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. season — in sport
  11. club — a group
  12. court — for sport
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. club — for golf
  15. tube — the underground
  16. key — for a lock
  17. plane — a tool
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. court — of law
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. land — a country
  22. key — the most important part
  23. court — of a king
  24. club — for dancing

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