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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. branch — a division
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. last — finally
  7. stock — goods
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. file — a tool
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. last — to go on
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. file — a line of people
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. last — final
  24. bear — the animal

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