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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bound — certain
  7. stock — goods
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. stock — shares
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fall — to drop
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. fall — the season
  24. wound — an injury

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