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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 · firm · stock · band · bat · chip · mug · nail

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stock — goods
  4. mug — to rob
  5. firm — decided
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mug — a cup
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mug — a face
  16. bat — the animal
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. band — a music group
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stock — shares
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — steady
  24. stock — a soup base

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