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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. band — a ring
  6. game — a match
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mug — a face
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. tube — the underground
  13. band — a music group
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stock — shares
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tube — a container
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mug — a cup
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mug — to rob

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