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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. track — a path
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. track — to keep track
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — a song
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hand — help
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — in cards
  24. coach — a trainer

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