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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. march — the month
  3. stock — goods
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chip — for betting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stock — shares
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — a coil
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fan — a supporter

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