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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stock — shares
  8. rush — hurry
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fork — in a road
  14. track — a song
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stock — goods
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. game — a match
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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