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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. scale — size or range
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stock — shares
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chip — for betting
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stock — goods
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cabinet — ministers

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