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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chip — for betting
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stock — shares
  9. press — a publisher
  10. present — there
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. present — a gift
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. can — a tin
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chip — to eat
  21. present — the time now
  22. press — to push
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. saw — the tool

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