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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: firm · stock · squash · scale · court · trunk · cabinet · season

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. court — for sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — shares
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. squash — the sport
  14. court — of law
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. firm — decided
  18. stock — goods
  19. firm — a company
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. firm — steady
  23. season — in sport
  24. trunk — of a tree

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