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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: hand · key · bark · file · rash · racket · stock · fork

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rash — hasty
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stock — goods
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — to shout
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hand — in cards
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rash — a series
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stock — shares
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fork — in a road
  22. file — a document
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. file — a tool

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