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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. file — a line of people
  3. row — to paddle
  4. stock — goods
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. court — of law
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitch — completely
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. file — a document
  15. charge — a price
  16. row — a line
  17. rash — a series
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. file — a tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. charge — electricity
  24. court — of a king

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