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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · last · court · kick · bore · degree · bowl · mark

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. last — finally
  4. court — for sport
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. last — final
  7. mark — a trace
  8. court — of a king
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stock — goods
  11. kick — in football
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bore — to tire
  14. stock — shares
  15. court — of law
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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