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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cell — a phone
  3. chip — for betting
  4. craft — a skill
  5. row — a line
  6. firm — a company
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. craft — boats
  9. root — the cause
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. band — a music group
  12. firm — steady
  13. band — a ring
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. root — of a word
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cell — in biology
  22. root — of a plant
  23. firm — decided
  24. craft — a handicraft

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