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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: stock · last · row · calf · file · rock · date · track

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. track — a song
  3. file — a line of people
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. track — to keep track
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. last — final
  10. file — a tool
  11. rock — music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a document
  14. last — to go on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. rock — a stone
  22. date — the fruit
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. track — a path

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