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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. plane — a tool
  7. club — for golf
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — for betting
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — in sport
  12. club — for dancing
  13. court — for sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. court — of law
  16. stock — shares
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stock — goods
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. kid — child
  21. band — a ring
  22. season — of the year
  23. club — a group
  24. plane — an aircraft

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