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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: chip · fan · mine · stock · kid · deal · game · board

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. kid — child
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stock — shares
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — goods
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. game — a match
  20. kid — to tease
  21. board — a committee
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. game — a kind of play
  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