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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. march — the month
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bound — certain
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chip — to eat
  8. spring — of water
  9. march — music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spring — the season
  12. bound — obliged
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. march — the month
  24. safe — out of danger

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