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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: stem · stock · pitcher · content · court · deal · bear · game

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. court — of law
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. content — the amount
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. game — a match
  11. court — for sport
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stock — goods
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. content — happy
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — to come from
  21. court — of a king
  22. bear — the animal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. stock — a soup base

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