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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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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — all right
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stock — goods
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mark — a grade
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. scale — in music
  11. stand — to bear
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — army training
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stock — shares

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