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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chip — to eat
  4. stock — goods
  5. firm — a company
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stock — shares
  9. date — the fruit
  10. firm — decided
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. firm — steady
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. mine — for digging
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ball — a dance
  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