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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: mark · date · cap · wound · stock · march · chip · ground

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cap — a lid
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mark — a grade
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — shares
  9. march — the month
  10. cap — a hat
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ground — a position
  16. mark — a trace
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. march — the month
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. march — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cap — of ice
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ground — crushed

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