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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: stock · game · hand · lean · ball · kid · bulb · court

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. court — of a king
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. court — of law
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lean — thin
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hand — help
  17. game — wild animals
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stock — shares
  20. ball — a great time
  21. court — for sport
  22. kid — child
  23. bulb — for light
  24. game — a match

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