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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: court · calf · chair · march · vault · stock · pitch · content

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. content — the amount
  3. stock — shares
  4. march — music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. court — of law
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — a leader
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pitch — completely
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. court — of a king
  17. content — happy
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. march — the month
  24. court — for sport

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