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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: bat · present · rock · pass · fan · wound · stock · rash

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stock — goods
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bat — the animal
  15. present — the time now
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. present — a gift
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rock — music
  23. stock — shares
  24. present — there

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