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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: rock · stock · mine · saw · file · swing · track · squash

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stock — shares
  5. saw — the tool
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. saw — the tool
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stock — goods
  17. mine — for digging
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. file — a document
  21. swing — music
  22. rock — music
  23. file — a tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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