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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. file — a tool
  3. stock — shares
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. can — a tin
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rash — a series
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stock — goods
  11. file — a document
  12. rash — hasty
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. chip — to eat
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — a phone
  24. can — a tin

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