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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 124 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. file — a document
  3. season — in sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stock — goods
  8. kid — child
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. row — to paddle
  12. snap — to click
  13. file — a line of people
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. row — a line
  17. board — a committee
  18. stock — shares
  19. board — to get on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. file — a tool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. branch — a division
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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