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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chip — to eat
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. row — to paddle
  7. branch — a division
  8. chip — for betting
  9. key — for a lock
  10. current — of water
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. current — happening now
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. capital — a city
  18. key — in music
  19. row — a line
  20. capital — money
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. hand — in cards
  24. current — electric

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