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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 · stock · game · ball · tube · wound · root · deal

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — a match
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. root — of a word
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stock — shares
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tube — a container
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ball — a great time
  17. deal — to handle
  18. root — of a plant
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. file — a tool
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. tube — the underground
  24. root — the cause

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