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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. court — of law
  5. chip — for betting
  6. stock — goods
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. court — for sport
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cap — a lid
  12. firm — steady
  13. squash — to crush
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. firm — decided
  16. cap — a hat
  17. firm — a company
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stock — shares
  20. pop — music
  21. court — of a king
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pop — soda

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