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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stock — goods
  8. swing — in golf
  9. spring — of water
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cell — in biology
  15. swing — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — the season
  18. stock — shares
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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