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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stock — shares
  3. spring — the season
  4. can — a tin
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a document
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. file — a tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pound — a weight
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spring — of water

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