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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. file — a document
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stock — goods
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. root — the cause
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. key — in music
  14. stock — shares
  15. file — a tool
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. date — the fruit
  20. key — for a lock
  21. root — of a word
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wound — an injury
  24. root — of a plant

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