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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: scale · file · stock · snap · pop · date · coach · row

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. date — the fruit
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stock — goods
  6. file — a document
  7. pop — music
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pop — to visit
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. scale — in music
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pop — soda

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