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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: stock · chip · ball · swing · bat · rash · game · pop

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. stock — shares
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rash — a series
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. chip — to eat
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. pop — music
  16. bat — the animal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pop — soda
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stock — goods

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