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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: mark · cold · stock · lie · nail · bass · rush · pitcher

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stock — shares
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the fish
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mark — a trace
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bass — low music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stock — goods

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