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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bass — low music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spell — magic
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. spell — letters
  18. cap — of ice
  19. spell — a short time
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stock — shares

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