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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chip — for betting
  6. current — electric
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chip — to eat
  13. court — of a king
  14. bore — to tire
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. chair — a leader
  19. current — happening now
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. current — of water
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ruler — a monarch

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