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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. field — for sport
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stock — shares
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. file — a tool
  11. field — a subject
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. field — farmland
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wake — a trail
  17. scale — in music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stand — to bear

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