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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. swing — in golf
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. chip — to eat
  5. land — to come down
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rash — hasty
  10. land — a country
  11. swing — to play on
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rash — a series
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chip — for betting
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. land — ground
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. swing — music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. chip — in a computer
  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