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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rash — hasty
  3. roll — a cake
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. roll — a list
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stock — goods
  16. rash — a series
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chip — for betting
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. stock — shares
  24. bulb — for light

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