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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: staff · roll · game · pitcher · racket · wound · stock · mark

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stock — shares
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. roll — a list
  9. stock — goods
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — a match
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. racket — for tennis

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