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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · file · row · stock · fan · content

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stock — goods
  3. present — a gift
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. content — the amount
  6. file — a document
  7. row — a line
  8. present — there
  9. file — a line of people
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. content — happy
  16. present — the time now
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. file — a tool

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