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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. scale — in music
  6. field — for sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stock — goods
  13. field — a subject
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stock — shares
  20. club — a group
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. squash — to crush
  24. chip — for betting

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