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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: rest · saw · stock · wound · clip · court · content · can

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stock — goods
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. can — a tin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rest — what's left
  14. can — to be able to
  15. content — the amount
  16. rest — what's left
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — for paper
  19. court — of law
  20. content — happy
  21. stock — shares
  22. rest — a break
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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