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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 116 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: ball · cabinet · stock · net · last · rash · bank · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. last — to go on
  3. bank — for money
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. bank — of a river
  7. net — for catching
  8. ball — a great time
  9. file — a document
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. net — after costs
  16. file — a tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bank — for money
  24. net — in sport

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