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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bat — the animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. press — newspapers
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. degree — temperature
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. chip — for betting

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