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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — army training
  6. mug — to rob
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pass — a permit
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rest — a break
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stock — shares
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. mug — a face
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. stock — goods
  24. chest — a box

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