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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. stock — shares
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. plane — a tool
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stock — goods
  13. row — a line
  14. chip — to eat
  15. can — a tin
  16. shower — to wash
  17. prune — to trim
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. row — to paddle
  23. shower — rain
  24. chip — in a computer

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