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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mug — to rob
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. net — after costs
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mug — a face
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stock — shares
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. cell — in biology
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mug — a cup
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. clip — a video
  23. deal — to handle
  24. clip — to cut

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