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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stock — shares
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. degree — an amount
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stand — to bear
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rash — hasty
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rash — a series
  15. wind — moving air
  16. degree — temperature
  17. snap — to click
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. stock — goods
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chip — for betting
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — to turn a key

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