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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. face — to confront
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. face — part of the head
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. chip — to eat
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. stock — shares
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bowl — to roll

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