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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cell — in biology
  5. file — a document
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stock — goods
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. net — for catching
  13. rule — a law
  14. drill — army training
  15. bank — for money
  16. net — in sport
  17. rule — government
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. net — after costs
  22. bank — for money
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bank — of a river

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