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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. ball — a dance
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stock — shares
  9. board — to get on
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. shower — rain
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chest — a box
  24. stock — goods

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