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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. snap — to click
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a document
  8. scale — in music
  9. kid — child
  10. file — a tool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rest — what's left
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rule — government
  15. kid — to tease
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rule — a law
  18. file — a line of people
  19. scale — size or range
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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