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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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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. swing — music
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fine — high quality
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. swing — in golf
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. roll — a list
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. swing — to play on
  23. fine — all right
  24. roll — on a roll

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