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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
468
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: deal · chair · mine · stock · key · fine · file · bay

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stock — shares
  5. file — a document
  6. key — in music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. key — the most important part
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fine — all right
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stock — goods
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. file — a tool
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stock — a soup base

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