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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rash · key · ball · hand · bark · mouse · stock

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bark — to shout
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ball — a great time
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. key — in music
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — goods
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. file — a tool
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. hand — help

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