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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stock — shares
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spell — letters
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stock — goods
  15. clip — for paper
  16. chip — for betting
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spell — magic

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