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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 120 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: board · stock · field · file · bass · safe · rule · tube

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. field — a subject
  3. stock — goods
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. field — for sport
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stock — shares
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bass — the fish
  11. field — farmland
  12. tube — a container
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. file — a document
  15. board — a committee
  16. file — a line of people
  17. tube — the underground
  18. file — a tool
  19. rule — government
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bass — low music

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