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

Word bank: last · saw · chip · key · rush · stock · rash · fork

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. last — final
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. key — for a lock
  9. stock — shares
  10. rash — a series
  11. key — in music
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. last — finally
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rush — hurry
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stock — goods
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — hasty
  24. chip — for betting

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