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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: chip · lie · game · mouse · pop · bark · stock · land

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pop — to visit
  11. land — a country
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pop — music
  14. stock — goods
  15. pop — soda
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chip — to eat
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. land — ground
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. land — to come down

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