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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 · jam · kid · pass · stock · saw · date · wound

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kid — to tease
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stock — goods
  7. kid — child
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. date — the fruit
  10. file — a document
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pass — a permit
  22. saw — the tool
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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