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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: wake · chip · stock · rest · march · rash · fall · snap

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rest — what's left
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. snap — to click
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fall — the season
  20. rest — a break
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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