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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. file — a document
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stock — goods
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cue — a hint
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a tool
  23. cue — for pool
  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