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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stock — goods
  3. chest — a box
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. foot — a measure
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bore — to drill
  8. roll — a list
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. file — a line of people
  13. row — to paddle
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stock — shares
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bore — to tire
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. file — a tool
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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