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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. craft — boats
  4. face — to confront
  5. squash — the sport
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. face — part of the head
  13. current — of water
  14. rash — a series
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. craft — a skill
  20. current — electric
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. current — happening now
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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