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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 116 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: pop · stock · mark · chip · court · pitcher · season · swing

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. stock — goods
  2. season — of the year
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pop — soda
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mark — a trace
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. court — of law
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. swing — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — for sport
  18. pop — music
  19. stock — shares
  20. mark — a grade
  21. season — in sport
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stock — a soup base
  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