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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chip — for betting
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stock — goods
  7. staff — employees
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fall — to drop
  10. present — the time now
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — there
  15. fall — the season
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chip — to eat
  18. squash — the sport
  19. tube — a container
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. present — a gift
  22. squash — to crush
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stock — shares

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