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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: object · march · chip · stock · lean · bat · foot · mug

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. foot — a measure
  3. object — an aim
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chip — for betting
  6. march — music
  7. object — to protest
  8. stock — goods
  9. mug — to rob
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mug — a cup
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. object — a thing
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mug — a face
  23. stock — shares
  24. chip — to eat

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