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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. stock — goods
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stock — shares
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cap — of ice
  14. ground — a position
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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