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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. file — a document
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stock — goods
  10. file — a line of people
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stock — shares
  13. file — a tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. bound — certain
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bound — obliged
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stock — a soup base

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