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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.

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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: stock · nail · bay · cell · swing · ground · wound · game

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. cell — in biology
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ground — a position
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — a match
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ground — the earth
  19. swing — music
  20. ground — crushed
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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