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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. charge — a price
  3. band — a ring
  4. stock — shares
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mug — a face
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. charge — electricity
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. charge — in control
  13. mug — to rob
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. row — to paddle
  18. band — a music group
  19. stock — goods
  20. mug — a cup
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chip — to eat
  23. row — a line
  24. chip — for betting

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