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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chip — to eat
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. net — for catching
  18. stock — goods
  19. net — after costs
  20. branch — a division
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. squash — the sport
  23. net — in sport
  24. stock — shares

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