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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 · kid · board · snap · court · stock · chip · root

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. board — a committee
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stock — goods
  6. board — to get on
  7. kid — child
  8. court — of a king
  9. game — wild animals
  10. root — the cause
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. root — of a word
  13. stock — shares
  14. game — a match
  15. court — of law
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chip — for betting
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. snap — to click
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. root — of a plant
  23. court — for sport
  24. board — a flat piece

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