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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 116 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
468
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 · wind · rock · spell · content · stock · hide · sharp

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. content — happy
  9. file — a document
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rock — music
  12. file — a tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stock — goods
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spell — magic
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. content — the amount
  20. sharp — clever
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wind — moving air

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