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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. content — the amount
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stock — goods
  7. mate — to breed
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mate — a friend
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. race — a contest
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. content — happy
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. race — humankind
  22. chest — a box
  23. mate — a partner
  24. chest — of your body

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