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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: pitcher · rule · wind · stock · fine · pound · field · roll

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fine — all right
  4. field — a subject
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stock — goods
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — farmland
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. field — for sport
  12. stock — shares
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rule — government
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rule — a law
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pound — a weight
  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