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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: band · bound · staff · cold · foot · perch · stock · pit

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stock — goods
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cold — not warm
  11. staff — employees
  12. perch — the fish
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a music group
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a ring
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cold — an illness
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stock — shares

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