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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: stock · hide · wound · last · firm · bound · rest · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — finally
  4. rest — what's left
  5. firm — steady
  6. stock — shares
  7. firm — a company
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rest — a break
  20. firm — decided
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stock — goods
  24. bound — certain

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