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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chip — to eat
  3. sharp — clever
  4. race — the arms race
  5. land — to come down
  6. rest — what's left
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. race — a contest
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. land — a country
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rest — what's left
  17. race — humankind
  18. rest — a break
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. land — ground
  24. straw — a straw man

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