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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stock — shares
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. roll — a cake
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cap — of ice
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — certain
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chest — a box
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stock — goods
  22. chest — of your body
  23. roll — a list
  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