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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: file · bowl · deal · firm · wound · season · stock · club

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stock — shares
  5. club — for golf
  6. file — a document
  7. club — a group
  8. file — a tool
  9. firm — steady
  10. file — a line of people
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stock — goods
  15. deal — to handle
  16. firm — a company
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. club — for dancing
  19. firm — decided
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wound — an injury
  24. deal — an agreement

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