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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. deal — to handle
  3. game — a match
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bank — for money
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. file — a tool
  10. bank — of a river
  11. rock — music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bank — for money
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. stock — shares
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stock — goods
  24. file — a document

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