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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. net — for catching
  3. chip — for betting
  4. suit — clothes
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. last — final
  7. game — wild animals
  8. snap — to click
  9. stock — shares
  10. chip — to eat
  11. net — in sport
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. net — after costs
  14. last — to go on
  15. suit — to fit
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. suit — in cards
  18. last — finally
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. game — a match

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