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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. present — the time now
  9. pop — music
  10. bat — the animal
  11. present — there
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chip — for betting
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pop — soda
  22. present — a gift
  23. stock — shares
  24. chip — to eat

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