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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: plane · fall · file · stock · court · mine · mate · bore

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. file — a document
  4. mate — a partner
  5. file — a tool
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mine — for digging
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stock — goods
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stock — shares
  19. bore — to drill
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fall — to drop
  24. court — of a king

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