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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 120 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 · game · present · bear · stock · season · bay · can

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. present — there
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. court — of law
  9. bear — the animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. can — a tin
  13. game — wild animals
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. court — of a king
  19. can — a tin
  20. present — the time now
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. game — a match
  23. court — for sport
  24. bear — the animal

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