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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. net — in sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. file — a document
  7. stock — shares
  8. present — the time now
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cue — for pool
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hand — help
  19. file — a tool
  20. present — there
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — in cards

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