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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stock — shares
  4. row — a line
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stock — goods
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. field — a subject
  11. row — to paddle
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. field — for sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. field — farmland
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. row — a quarrel

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