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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · toast · rush · present · sharp · file · wind · bay

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. present — a gift
  3. file — a line of people
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. file — a document
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. present — the time now
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wind — moving air
  19. toast — bread
  20. stock — goods
  21. file — a tool
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. present — there
  24. rush — hurry

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