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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chip — for betting
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. land — ground
  12. stock — shares
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. board — to get on
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stock — goods
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. board — a committee
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stock — a soup base

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