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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. fall — the season
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — for betting
  15. stock — goods
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. season — of the year
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stock — shares
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bat — in an idiom

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