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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. craft — boats
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pound — a weight
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. track — a path
  11. band — a music group
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. track — a song
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — goods
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pit — in a race

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