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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: bass · chip · stock · fan · pit · cell · board · shower

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bass — low music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. board — a committee
  10. bass — the fish
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chip — for betting
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stock — shares
  16. pit — a hole
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pit — in a race
  22. stock — goods
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. shower — rain

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