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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. charge — electricity
  4. chip — for betting
  5. current — of water
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. charge — a price
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. current — electric
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. game — a match
  14. chip — to eat
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lean — to bend
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — the amount
  21. charge — in control
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. content — happy
  24. lean — thin

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