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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. stand — to bear
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stock — goods
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fine — all right
  12. file — a document
  13. fine — high quality
  14. land — a country
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kick — in football
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. swing — music
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. swing — to play on
  22. file — a tool
  23. hand — help
  24. stock — shares

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