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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rule — a law
  3. chip — for betting
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. object — a thing
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chest — a box
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stock — goods
  12. chest — of your body
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. object — to protest
  15. prune — to trim
  16. object — an aim
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rule — government
  24. chip — to eat

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