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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stock — goods
  16. bark — to shout
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chest — a box
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chest — of your body

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