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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 · ground · mine · lash · staff · chip · ball · rush

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chip — to eat
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stock — shares
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — goods
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stock — a soup base

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