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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 a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. row — to paddle
  3. chip — for betting
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pop — soda
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. pop — music
  18. club — for golf
  19. row — a line
  20. stock — goods
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stock — shares
  23. club — a group
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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