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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 116 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: net · season · stock · key · ball · firm · prune · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. court — of law
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. stock — shares
  4. court — of a king
  5. net — for catching
  6. firm — decided
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stock — goods
  9. firm — a company
  10. key — in music
  11. season — of the year
  12. net — after costs
  13. ball — a dance
  14. key — for a lock
  15. firm — steady
  16. ball — a great time
  17. court — for sport
  18. season — in sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. key — the most important part
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  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