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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 124 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stock — goods
  8. spring — a coil
  9. game — a match
  10. net — after costs
  11. cap — a lid
  12. net — for catching
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stock — shares
  15. fine — all right
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chip — to eat
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. net — in sport
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fine — high quality
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. spring — of water

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