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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. game — a match
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rest — a break
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. board — to get on
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. board — a committee
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stock — goods
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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