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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mug — a cup
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — goods
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chip — to eat
  10. season — of the year
  11. prune — to trim
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mug — a face
  14. snap — to click
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. season — in sport
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stock — shares
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. season — to add flavour

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