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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. scale — in music
  3. can — to be able to
  4. file — a document
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. kick — in football
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. can — a tin
  11. shower — to wash
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. shower — rain
  14. stock — shares
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stock — goods
  17. file — a tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fine — a penalty

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