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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: bowl · fine · chest · ground · stock · wound · mouse · sharp

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chest — a box
  9. stock — shares
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ground — a position
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stock — goods
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fine — all right

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