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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. file — a line of people
  3. dip — to sink
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bank — of a river
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — goods
  13. roll — a cake
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bank — for money
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. roll — a list
  24. dip — to dunk

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