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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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. file — a document
  3. net — for catching
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rule — government
  6. net — in sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — shares
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fine — high quality
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rule — a law
  19. net — after costs
  20. file — a tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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