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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stock — shares
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rush — hurry
  11. band — a music group
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. spell — magic
  18. band — a ring
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fork — in a road
  21. game — a match
  22. spell — letters
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. vault — a safe

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