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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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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: game · temple · chip · stock · deal · perch · spring · ball

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. stock — shares
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. spring — a coil
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. game — a match
  9. chip — to eat
  10. ball — a dance
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chip — for betting
  13. spring — the season
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. deal — to handle
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — of water
  19. perch — the fish
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ball — a great time
  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