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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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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rash — a series
  4. firm — decided
  5. stock — shares
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stock — goods
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rash — hasty
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. firm — steady
  14. file — a tool
  15. mark — a grade
  16. file — a document
  17. firm — a company
  18. rash — on the skin

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