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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: season · file · calf · stock · pound · squash · capital · fine

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. squash — to crush
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. season — of the year
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. capital — money
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. file — a document
  13. stock — shares
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. stock — goods
  21. pound — a weight
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the 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