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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 one o'clock ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. shower — rain
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. board — a committee
  5. mine — for digging
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stock — shares
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. track — a path
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. kid — child
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. shower — to wash
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kid — to tease
  20. board — to get on
  21. stock — goods
  22. track — a song
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. sharp — with an edge

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