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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: dip · court · bulb · season · calf · wind · key · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. key — the most important part
  3. court — for sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. season — in sport
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bulb — for light
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — of the year
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. key — in music
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. court — of a king
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stock — goods
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. court — of law

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