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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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468
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: cell · lash · stock · bound · cold · chip · rash · capital

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bound — certain
  3. stock — goods
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bound — obliged
  6. capital — a city
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bound — tied together
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. capital — money
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stock — shares
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rash — a series
  24. capital — a big letter

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