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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: chair · bay · suit · court · net · stock · ball · temple

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. ball — a dance
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. net — after costs
  7. chair — a leader
  8. stock — goods
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — in sport
  12. court — of law
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. suit — in cards
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. court — of a king
  21. suit — clothes
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stock — shares
  24. net — for catching

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