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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 · bowl · season · root · mark · stock · scale · ball

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. root — the cause
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. court — for sport
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mark — a grade
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. root — of a plant
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. scale — size or range
  20. season — in sport
  21. stock — shares
  22. root — of a word
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mark — a trace

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