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

Word bank: cabinet · shower · mouse · face · snap · stock · chip · bay

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. face — to confront
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stock — shares
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. snap — to click
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stock — goods
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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