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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. last — finally
  3. race — a contest
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chip — to eat
  6. object — to protest
  7. clip — for paper
  8. current — electric
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. race — humankind
  11. last — final
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. last — to go on
  14. clip — a video
  15. object — a thing
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. race — the arms race
  20. object — an aim
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bulb — for light

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