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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stock — goods
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chip — for betting
  6. stock — shares
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rash — a series
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chip — to eat

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