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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: nail · stock · file · press · squash · key · kid · game

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. game — a match
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. kid — to tease
  6. file — a line of people
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kid — child
  9. press — to push
  10. stock — goods
  11. file — a document
  12. key — the most important part
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. stock — shares
  19. press — newspapers
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. file — a tool
  24. press — a publisher

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