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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. chip — to eat
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mug — a cup
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pop — music
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pop — soda
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pop — to visit
  20. fine — all right
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mug — a face
  23. fine — high quality
  24. leaves — to go away

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