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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: bound · court · deal · craft · degree · stock · suit · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. degree — from a university
  5. suit — in cards
  6. degree — an amount
  7. craft — a skill
  8. stock — goods
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. suit — clothes
  11. deal — to handle
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bound — tied together
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. court — for sport
  18. craft — boats
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. stock — shares
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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