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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. charge — a price
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. last — to go on
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. current — happening now
  10. drill — the tool
  11. current — of water
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chip — for betting
  14. last — final
  15. charge — in control
  16. current — electric
  17. last — finally
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. shower — rain
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. drill — a practice
  24. charge — electricity

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