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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. track — a song
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chip — to eat
  11. track — a path
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. lean — to bend
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. branch — a division
  20. chip — for betting
  21. track — to keep track
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lean — thin

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