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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — goods
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chip — for betting
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tear — to rip
  10. content — the amount
  11. tear — from crying
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. land — a country
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. land — ground
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. content — happy
  18. foot — a measure
  19. board — to get on
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. land — to come down
  23. board — a committee
  24. chip — to eat

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