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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: nail · racket · file · stock · chip · content · present · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stock — shares
  5. file — a document
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. tear — to rip
  8. present — the time now
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. file — a tool
  12. present — a gift
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chip — for betting
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a line of people
  17. stock — goods
  18. chip — to eat
  19. content — the amount
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. present — there
  24. content — happy

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