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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 · rash · stock · leaves · suit · racket · shower · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stock — shares
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rash — hasty
  9. court — of law
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. shower — rain
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. stock — goods
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. court — for sport
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. court — of a king
  24. suit — in cards

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