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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bound — certain
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bound — obliged
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. track — a path
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spring — of water
  13. stock — goods
  14. spring — a coil
  15. track — a song
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — shares
  21. chip — to eat
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. spring — the season

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