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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. chip — for betting
  3. kid — to tease
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cue — a hint
  7. land — to come down
  8. charge — in control
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. deal — to handle
  11. land — ground
  12. stock — shares
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. land — a country
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. charge — a price
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kid — child
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cue — for pool
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stock — goods

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