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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.

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: court · arm · fall · field · jam · bear · squash · stock

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fall — the season
  3. court — of a king
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stock — goods
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. court — for sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — a subject
  12. squash — to crush
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. squash — the sport
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fall — to drop
  24. jam — in traffic

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