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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: fine · wound · stock · row · date · ball · stick · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stock — goods
  8. ball — a dance
  9. date — the fruit
  10. row — a line
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. fine — all right
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wound — an injury
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stock — shares
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — to paddle

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