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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: chest · file · mouse · jam · stock · rush · field · can

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rush — hurry
  4. can — to be able to
  5. field — for sport
  6. file — a line of people
  7. chest — a box
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a tool
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. can — a tin
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stock — shares
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. can — a tin
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. file — a document
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. field — a subject
  23. stock — goods
  24. field — farmland

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