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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.

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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: kid · mouse · rush · pitcher · saw · stock · key · file

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. file — a tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stock — shares
  19. file — a document
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. stock — goods
  23. kid — to tease
  24. key — for a lock

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