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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. hand — help
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mine — for digging
  6. craft — boats
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chip — to eat
  9. scale — in music
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spell — letters
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stock — shares
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stock — goods
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spell — magic

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