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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pop — music
  4. stock — goods
  5. pop — to visit
  6. kick — in football
  7. firm — decided
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stock — shares
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pop — soda
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. firm — a company
  23. bank — for money
  24. chip — in a computer

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