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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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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: land · snap · stock · chip · jam · shower · toast · firm

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. land — a country
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. chip — to eat
  6. shower — to wash
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. firm — steady
  9. land — to come down
  10. firm — a company
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. stock — shares
  14. toast — bread
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. land — ground
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. shower — rain
  24. firm — decided

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