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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chip — for betting
  3. stock — shares
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. file — a document
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. stock — goods
  9. rule — a law
  10. chip — to eat
  11. band — a ring
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rule — government
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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