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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. file — a document
  3. stock — shares
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pop — music
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pop — soda
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spell — magic
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stock — goods
  22. file — a tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. file — a line of people

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