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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: mark · squash · sharp · mine · toast · chip · spring · stock

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mark — a grade
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. chip — for betting
  9. toast — bread
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — goods
  19. spring — the season
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stock — shares
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. squash — to crush

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