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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 120 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: rest · net · hand · file · stock · scale · chip · deal

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rest — a break
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a document
  5. hand — help
  6. deal — to handle
  7. scale — size or range
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stock — goods
  10. scale — in music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chip — to eat
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. file — a tool
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. net — for catching
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. net — after costs
  21. chip — for betting
  22. file — a line of people
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. deal — a big deal

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