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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. file — a document
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rest — what's left
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. stock — shares
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stock — goods
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rest — what's left
  19. charge — electricity
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. file — a tool
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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