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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stock — shares
  4. band — a music group
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stock — goods
  10. band — a ring
  11. chip — to eat
  12. spell — a short time
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — magic
  18. game — wild animals

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