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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stock — shares
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pop — music
  6. chip — for betting
  7. stock — goods
  8. hand — help
  9. chip — to eat
  10. staff — employees
  11. hand — in cards
  12. court — for sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. staff — employees
  21. chest — a box
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pop — soda
  24. stock — a soup base

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