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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stock — goods
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. last — finally
  8. toast — bread
  9. last — to go on
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mine — for digging
  12. charge — in control
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. last — final
  16. charge — electricity
  17. stock — shares
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. charge — a price
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mine — an explosive

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