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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: racket · stock · rock · drill · ball · bound · hand · wind

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. drill — a practice
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bound — obliged
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rock — music
  9. bound — certain
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stock — goods
  13. hand — help
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wind — moving air
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wind — moving air

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