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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 120 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 is an ace ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. file — a document
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a tool
  7. board — a committee
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. club — for golf
  11. chip — for betting
  12. club — for dancing
  13. stock — goods
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stock — shares
  19. board — to get on
  20. wake — a trail
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. club — a group
  24. stock — a soup base

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