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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. land — ground
  3. chip — to eat
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. kid — child
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. kid — to tease
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. branch — a division

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