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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fall — the season
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. branch — a division
  12. row — a line
  13. sharp — clever
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — to eat
  17. toast — bread
  18. rush — hurry
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fall — to drop
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. row — to paddle

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