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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · rash · game · bowl · chip · wake · firm · net

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. net — after costs
  3. firm — decided
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. net — in sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — for catching
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — a series
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. firm — steady
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. firm — a company
  24. game — wild animals

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