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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ball — a great time
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. court — of a king
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. court — of law
  11. ball — a dance
  12. board — a committee
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. board — to get on
  16. court — for sport
  17. file — a document
  18. face — part of the head
  19. snap — to click
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stock — shares

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