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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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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bank — for money
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. clip — a video
  5. stock — shares
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fall — to drop
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chip — to eat
  10. spell — magic
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. bank — for money
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rash — a series
  18. fall — the season
  19. spell — letters
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rash — hasty
  24. squash — the vegetable

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