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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. band — a music group
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stock — shares
  7. band — a ring
  8. stock — goods
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. root — the cause
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. root — of a word
  16. pound — a weight
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. pound — to hit hard

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