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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: ruler · wound · race · mouse · row · stock · content · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — all right
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. race — humankind
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. content — happy
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. content — the amount
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. race — a contest
  17. wound — an injury
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. row — to paddle
  20. race — the arms race
  21. row — a line
  22. stock — goods
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. row — a quarrel

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