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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.

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: file · deal · cold · row · bulb · charge · mate · stock

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. row — a line
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mate — to breed
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — in control
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. file — a document
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mate — a friend
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cold — an illness
  21. file — a line of people
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stock — shares

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