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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stock — shares
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mark — a grade
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. net — in sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mark — a trace
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bound — obliged
  20. net — for catching
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bound — certain
  23. net — after costs
  24. prune — to trim

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