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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. current — happening now
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. toast — bread
  8. scale — in music
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. current — electric
  17. rash — a series
  18. net — in sport
  19. current — of water
  20. net — after costs
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. face — to confront
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rash — hasty

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