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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 · club · cabinet · lie · can · firm · land · stock

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stock — shares
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. court — of a king
  6. land — ground
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. lie — to recline
  10. firm — steady
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. court — for sport
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. court — of law
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. club — for dancing
  23. firm — decided
  24. cabinet — ministers

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