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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. file — a tool
  4. craft — boats
  5. squash — to crush
  6. craft — a skill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stock — shares
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — in cards
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — goods
  20. hand — help
  21. squash — the sport
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pitcher — a jug

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