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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stock · mouse · pit · saw · rest · band · hand · cold

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. band — a music group
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stock — goods
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. band — a ring
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stock — shares
  15. hand — help
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stock — a soup base

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