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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
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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: stock · spell · key · court · fork · mark · wave · bass

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. court — for sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. bass — low music
  6. key — in music
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. court — of a king
  14. stock — shares
  15. spell — magic
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bass — the fish
  22. key — for a lock
  23. mark — a trace
  24. key — the most important part

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