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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. present — a gift
  3. chip — for betting
  4. kid — to tease
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. key — in music
  8. present — the time now
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — goods
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. kid — child
  20. stock — shares
  21. present — there
  22. key — for a lock
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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