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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — to eat
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chip — for betting
  13. firm — steady
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. game — a match
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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