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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: mark · calf · season · rush · stock · face · fan · court

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. face — to confront
  3. court — of a king
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. season — of the year
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. court — for sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — goods
  12. mark — a trace
  13. face — to point toward
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. court — of law
  22. season — in sport
  23. stock — shares
  24. rush — to hurry

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