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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. field — farmland
  3. file — a tool
  4. row — to paddle
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stock — shares
  7. charge — a price
  8. season — of the year
  9. stock — goods
  10. firm — a company
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. row — a line
  13. firm — decided
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. season — in sport
  16. firm — steady
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — in control
  19. field — for sport
  20. content — the amount
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. field — a subject
  23. file — a line of people
  24. content — happy

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