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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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. wound — an injury
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. can — a tin
  7. press — a publisher
  8. chip — for betting
  9. club — for golf
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. sharp — clever
  12. club — a group
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. press — to push
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. can — to be able to
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. club — for dancing
  22. press — newspapers
  23. can — a tin
  24. stock — goods

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