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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. fall — the season
  4. game — a match
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cap — a lid
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cap — a hat
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. club — for golf
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stock — shares
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cap — of ice
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. club — a group
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. club — for dancing
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. file — a document

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