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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 116 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: press · key · ground · stock · game · court · content · track

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. court — of law
  3. game — wild animals
  4. content — happy
  5. stock — goods
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stock — shares
  10. press — to push
  11. key — in music
  12. press — a publisher
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ground — a position
  17. track — a path
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. content — the amount
  21. ground — crushed
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. track — a song
  24. ground — the earth

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