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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · mug · bay · rash · wound · chest · cold · stock

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chest — a box
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mug — a face
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stock — shares
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rash — a series
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stock — goods
  24. mug — to rob

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