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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: sharp · court · deal · scale · cue · stock · prune · bear

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. stock — goods
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. court — of a king
  5. scale — size or range
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — shares
  8. scale — in music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. prune — to trim
  12. sharp — clever
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cue — a hint
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — of law
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cue — a signal
  23. court — for sport
  24. deal — an agreement

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