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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · ball · stand · pop · stock · wound · wind · snap

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stock — goods
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — shares
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wound — an injury
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cabinet — ministers

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