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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. track — a song
  3. chip — for betting
  4. craft — boats
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. kid — child
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. track — to keep track
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — a skill
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. track — a path
  22. chip — to eat
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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