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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · season · can · spring · arm · field · cabinet · stock

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — goods
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. spring — the season
  6. field — for sport
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. field — a subject
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — of water
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. season — of the year
  17. court — of law
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. arm — a part of something

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