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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fork — in a road
  4. stock — goods
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ball — a great time
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stock — shares
  18. kick — in football

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