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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 116 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. file — a document
  4. spring — the season
  5. bass — low music
  6. last — final
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spring — a coil
  11. file — a tool
  12. lean — to bend
  13. last — finally
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stock — goods
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. last — to go on
  18. spring — of water
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. stock — shares
  24. chip — for betting

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