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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — to keep track
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. file — a document
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. track — a path
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stock — shares
  10. staff — a stick
  11. file — a tool
  12. stock — goods
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. roll — a list
  17. rule — a law
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rash — a series
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. file — a line of people
  23. staff — employees
  24. track — a song

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