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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: safe · track · chair · stock · court · wound · row · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — a song
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. row — to paddle
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. track — a path
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. court — for sport
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fine — all right
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stock — goods
  20. row — a line
  21. court — of law
  22. stock — shares
  23. track — to keep track
  24. court — of a king

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