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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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. stock — shares
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. capital — money
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — a city
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bowl — a football final

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