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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: club · cold · chip · stock · staff · bass · toast · hand

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bass — low music
  3. club — a group
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. chip — to eat
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — help
  8. club — for golf
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. staff — employees
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cold — an illness
  13. club — for dancing
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. toast — bread
  20. hand — in cards
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bass — the fish
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stock — shares

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