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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. deal — to handle
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. game — a match
  11. stock — goods
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. craft — a skill
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. craft — boats

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