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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pop — to visit
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rule — government
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rule — a law
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. pop — soda
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pop — music
  23. mate — to breed
  24. jam — in traffic

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