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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stem — to come from
  3. file — a document
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stock — goods
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fork — in a road
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mouse — the animal

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