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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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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: stock · content · track · pass · snap · fall · game · file

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stock — goods
  3. file — a tool
  4. fall — the season
  5. file — a document
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stock — shares
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a line of people
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — to keep track
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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