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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 124 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stand — to bear
  3. file — a document
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stock — goods
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. file — a tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. game — a match
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stock — shares
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rest — what's left
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bowl — a football final

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