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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: court · chip · ball · rock · lash · trunk · land · stock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. chip — to eat
  3. rock — a stone
  4. land — to come down
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ball — a dance
  8. court — of a king
  9. stock — goods
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. court — of law
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stock — shares
  20. court — for sport
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. land — ground
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. land — a country

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