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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: fine · stock · stick · court · rock · wind · rash · content

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rock — a stone
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fine — all right
  5. rock — music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — of a king
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wind — moving air
  11. content — happy
  12. stock — goods
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. content — the amount
  15. court — for sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. court — of law
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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