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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. current — happening now
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cell — a phone
  6. current — of water
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — to wash
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chip — for betting
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. scale — in music
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. current — electric
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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