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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: object · key · stock · wound · cold · cabinet · rash · track

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. object — a thing
  4. cold — an illness
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. object — an aim
  9. stock — goods
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. track — a song
  12. rash — a series
  13. wound — an injury
  14. track — to keep track
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stock — shares
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. track — a path
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. object — to protest
  24. wound — an injury

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