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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chip — for betting
  3. charge — a price
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. current — of water
  6. charge — in control
  7. chip — to eat
  8. current — happening now
  9. court — of law
  10. current — electric
  11. court — for sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. court — of a king
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. wave — of the sea

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