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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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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: race · stock · temple · pit · chest · fine · wound · band

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fine — high quality
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chest — a box
  11. race — humankind
  12. fine — all right
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stock — goods
  15. band — a music group
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pit — a hole
  24. band — a ring

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