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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. file — a line of people
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. file — a document
  8. fine — high quality
  9. race — humankind
  10. chip — to eat
  11. file — a tool
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stock — shares
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stock — goods
  19. season — of the year
  20. fine — all right
  21. race — a contest
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — in sport

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