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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: pitch · court · band · hand · cabinet · spell · track · stock

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stock — goods
  4. court — of a king
  5. pitch — completely
  6. band — a music group
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — letters
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. court — for sport
  11. track — a song
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stock — shares
  14. spell — magic
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. spell — a short time
  21. court — of law
  22. track — a path
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. band — a rubber band

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