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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. row — a line
  3. stock — shares
  4. file — a tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. charge — a price
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stem — to come from
  10. file — a document
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cap — a hat
  18. row — a quarrel

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