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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. snap — to click
  6. spring — a coil
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. chip — for betting
  9. can — a tin
  10. object — a thing
  11. can — to be able to
  12. row — a line
  13. squash — the sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. spring — the season
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. spring — of water
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. squash — to crush
  21. row — to paddle
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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