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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 120 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: hand · stock · net · file · court · deal · plane · can

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. net — in sport
  6. court — for sport
  7. plane — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. net — after costs
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hand — help
  13. file — a document
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. court — of a king
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. hand — in cards
  19. net — for catching
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. court — of law
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. can — a tin

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