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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: fork · lean · court · rush · rock · squash · ball · stock

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rock — a stone
  5. court — of law
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rock — music
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. court — for sport
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stock — goods
  17. lean — thin
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stock — shares
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fork — in a road
  24. court — of a king

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