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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: firm · swing · perch · stock · chip · capital · can · date

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. stock — goods
  3. can — a tin
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chip — for betting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. can — to be able to
  8. swing — in golf
  9. firm — a company
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. firm — steady
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — a city
  15. stock — shares
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. swing — music
  19. date — the fruit
  20. firm — decided
  21. can — a tin
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. capital — money
  24. perch — the fish

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