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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. temple — side of the head
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. row — a line
  4. hand — in cards
  5. chip — for betting
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hand — help
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stock — goods
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. row — to paddle
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stock — shares
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. board — a committee
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. board — to get on
  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