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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. current — happening now
  4. rash — a series
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wound — an injury
  9. current — of water
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bank — for money
  15. current — electric
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. shower — rain
  20. scale — in music
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. toast — bread
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rash — on the skin

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