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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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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 · fork · bark · cap · deal · bulb · court · pitch

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cap — a hat
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. court — of a king
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stock — shares
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. court — of law
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. court — for sport

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