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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. march — the month
  3. chip — for betting
  4. current — electric
  5. chest — a box
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pit — a hole
  11. drill — army training
  12. march — the month
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. shower — to wash
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. shower — rain
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. march — music
  24. current — of water

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