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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — for catching
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. stock — goods
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stock — shares
  7. squash — to crush
  8. net — after costs
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. net — in sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. object — a thing
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. object — an aim
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. object — to protest
  24. chip — for betting

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