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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. season — in sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. file — a tool
  6. rule — a law
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. file — a document
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. net — for catching
  13. rule — government
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stock — shares
  20. cell — a phone
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. season — of the year

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