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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 120 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stock — goods
  3. file — a tool
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. rash — hasty
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rash — a series
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. court — of law
  17. snap — to click
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. file — a line of people
  20. plane — a tool
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stock — shares

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