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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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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: stock · chip · scale · deal · bear · snap · squash · march

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. chip — for betting
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. march — music
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. scale — in music
  10. march — the month
  11. deal — to handle
  12. chip — to eat
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. march — the month
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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