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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. snap — to click
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. fall — the season
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. stock — shares
  16. stand — to bear
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chip — for betting
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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