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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. club — a group
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. firm — a company
  6. chip — for betting
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. firm — decided
  9. stock — shares
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. club — for golf
  14. row — to paddle
  15. chip — to eat
  16. stock — goods
  17. toast — bread
  18. club — for dancing
  19. row — a line
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. firm — steady
  24. chip — in a computer

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