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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fine — all right
  6. chip — for betting
  7. current — of water
  8. last — to go on
  9. kid — to tease
  10. last — finally
  11. stock — goods
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. last — final
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pound — a weight
  21. current — electric
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. current — happening now
  24. fine — high quality

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