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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · wound · chip · rush · stock · court · hand · pass

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chip — to eat
  5. court — for sport
  6. stock — shares
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. court — of a king
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. drill — a practice
  12. chip — for betting
  13. drill — army training
  14. stock — goods
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. hand — in cards
  17. court — of law
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — the tool

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