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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · stock · fall · pitcher · march · chip · stick · game

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. march — the month
  4. track — a path
  5. chip — to eat
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — a match
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. march — the month
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — music
  14. track — a song
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stock — goods
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stock — shares
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fall — the season
  24. stock — a soup base

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