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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 120 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: row · capital · can · pop · shower · object · stock · chip

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stock — goods
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pop — music
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. shower — to wash
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — shares
  13. row — a line
  14. pop — soda
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. capital — money
  17. object — a thing
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. capital — a city
  21. object — an aim
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chip — for betting
  24. can — a tin

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