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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: bound · stock · staff · fall · root · squash · pit · court

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pit — a hole
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fall — the season
  5. staff — a stick
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. court — of law
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fall — to drop
  12. court — of a king
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bound — tied together
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. court — for sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — shares
  21. bound — certain
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bound — obliged
  24. staff — employees

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