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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pit — a hole
  4. staff — employees
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stock — goods
  8. file — a tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. staff — employees
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — an injury
  14. firm — decided
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. file — a document
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stock — shares
  21. firm — steady
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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